MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Robert Stratton was homeless, walking down a Middletown street in the cold the day he decided he'd had enough.
"A couple of days before my birthday, I was walking in the cold snow going to get something to eat and she pulled up and asked me what I was doing, and I just had enough of being out there. I told her I was going wherever she was taking me," Stratton said.
He's talking about Victoria Hensley.
Twice a week in Middletown, Hensley rides along with a police officer and provides direct resources for people struggling with homelessness and addiction.
It's an issue that hits close to home for her, too.
"In 2014, I lost my sister to a heroin overdose," Hensley said.
She said her sister left three kids behind, and after that, she decided she wanted to turn tragedy into change.
"You just want to make a difference in someone's life," Hensley said. "I want to be part of the solution."
Her inspiration turned into action — which has, in turn, inspired Stratton too.
He said, at first, he would dread seeing Hensley on the streets. But that snowy day before his birthday, he realized he needed help and that dread turned into gratitude.
"She didn't just drop me off at treatment. She's been there for me, throughout the whole process if I need help or advice," Stratton said.
Hensley's work is part of an outreach program between the nonprofit Hopeline and the Middletown Police Department. The nonprofit provides free services in five counties in southwest Ohio.
Hensley and an officer drive around every Monday and Wednesday, handing out food and clothes to those affected. Lately, those clothes consist of winter hats, gloves, and hand warmers.
"We offer them treatment and shelter options as well," Hensley said.
Hensley said Hopeline's work in Middletown has been a years-long effort.
"The former administration came to us, the Hopeline, four and a half years ago and said 'We have a homeless problem and we need to do something about it,'" Hensley said.
Hensley said 44% of the people receptive to help are successfully connected to services.
Thanks to a $76,000 grant, the program will be getting an upgrade soon, in the form of a new vehicle to help transport those they help.
They will also begin going out three times a week starting at the beginning of 2025.
Middletown police officers say the calls they get related to homeless people have gone down since the program began.
For those who've been helped by Hensley, like Stratton, the services are life-changing.
"We need people that are consistent, that are there all the time, that I know we can count on," Stratton said.
You can learn more about the work Hopeline provides in southwest Ohioby clicking here.
