PLANO, Texas — Kimberly Briggs has been homeless since the beginning of the year. The once-Plano resident lives out of the Cadillac she calls 'Ole Bessie' and parks it in around three or four parts of the city of Plano. She has been down on her luck for a while but the last couple of months have restored her faith in humanity.
"It's painful. It's uncomfortable and sometimes I get really hungry," said Briggs, describing the five months of being homeless.
Briggs tells WFAA she has been turned away from shelters because they were either full or because she didn't have ID. She relies solely on Social Security and that isn't enough to even pay for low-cost housing. She says she has been priced out of homes in Collin County.
"Everything is so expensive and Social Security is lousy," she said.
She would park her car in front of a Plano Police substation and meet with the neighborhood officers every day before and after her shift.
"She said she was homeless but didn't want to be...that was key for us," said officer Daniel Rogers.
The challenge that Kimberly had was that she didn't have an address. And without an address, she cannot get important documents. Officer Daniel Rogers, Lance Buckley, and two others are credited with helping Briggs start the process of getting back on her feet by getting her an address.
"We have over 700 [homeless] using our mailbox system at this moment. It's important to have an address because it gives them identity," said Tamara Monroe of Hope Restored Missions in Plano.
Among other services designed to help, Hope Restored Missions collects mail for those without an address so they can get important mail, like benefits. The officers went a step further and went with Kimberly Briggs to her storage locker in Plano. After more than two hours of searching through her things, the officers found Kimberly's birth certificate and passport. The ID cards will help her get her driver's license and allow her to stay in a hotel.
"You don't know who they are and you don't know where they come from. It just starts with a conversation," said Officer Lance Buckley.
Kimberly says she is grateful for Hope Restored and the officers who have stepped up in her time of need. Kimberly says with her documentation and an address, she hopes to be under a roof soon. She is also hoping to find a job.
"This is part of the team that restored my faith in humanity. I don't know anybody else that would have done it but these guys did," said Briggs.