Another eye-opening reminder of Portsmouth’s growing homelessness crisis unfolded Thursday night at Mound Park — but this one also came with a small act of compassion.
Just after 9:30 p.m., a woman flagged down a Portsmouth Police officer to report someone lying on the ground on the west side of the park. When the officer responded, he found a woman resting beneath a tree. She wasn’t under the influence — just exhausted, disoriented, and newly unhoused.
According to the woman, she’d just been kicked out of a friend’s home and discovered that no beds were currently available at the city’s homeless shelter.
Instead of simply moving her along, the officer went a step further — giving her a ride to the Speedway on Gallia Street, making sure she had food and something to drink, and advising her to continue checking with the shelter for any open beds.
A Human Touch in a System Under Pressure
In a city where police calls about overdoses, trespassing, and park encampments have become daily routine, this officer’s kind response stood out. With limited resources and few safe spaces available, officers are often the last line of defense for vulnerable individuals — especially at night.
This incident highlights both the compassion of local law enforcement and the gaps in the city’s social safety net. Without enough shelter space, mental health resources, or transitional housing, police are frequently left to triage complex human crises with little more than a cruiser, a notepad, and a willingness to help.
It’s a reminder that the homelessness crisis isn’t just about tents or trespassing — it’s about people. And for at least one woman in Mound Park, it was also about an officer who chose to do more than just file a report.
