Elgin police social worker tries to help 'with everything'

A homeless man with a substance abuse problem. An out-of-state woman stranded in Elgin. A senior who lost money in a scam. A traumatized robbery victim. In her 24 years as a social worker for the Elgin Police Department, JoAnn Stingley has helped them all - and countless others.

"People call the police department about everything, and I try to help them with everything," Stingley said. "I want to make sure they get what they need."

Stingley coordinates the social services unit - also known as the victims assistance unit - which will hold its first off-site fundraiser Monday at Buffalo Wild Wings in South Elgin to raise money for clients who need things like IDs and access to public transportation.

The social services unit includes Stingley, two part-time case managers and several interns, all master's-degree students.

Stingley is on the department's payroll while the case managers' salaries are reimbursed by state and federal grants, but there is no budget allocation for client-related expenses.

"Last year we did a calendar, that was our first fundraiser," she said. "This year we are trying something different."

Stingley has made an indelible mark with her behind-the-scenes work, Lt. Rick Ciganek said.

"She's truly the unsung hero of the police department," said Ciganek, who leads the major investigations division and oversees the social services unit. "Anybody who comes here and says, 'I need some help,' they get help. JoAnn is incredible. She'll provide services for anybody."

Police officers routinely give out Stingley's name and number to residents who might need help, which means Stingley interacts with an average of 21 new clients per month.

The case managers contact potential clients by reviewing about 80 police reports per month that are flagged for domestic violence.

The work consists of providing free crisis intervention, counseling, legal referrals and referrals for community resources including shelter, mental illness, substance abuse, parenting and much more. All of it is free for Elgin residents. "I work for the people of the community," Stingley said. "The people pay my salary."

Stingley also runs a monthly resource program for juvenile officers and started a group that meets quarterly to examine homelessness from a community perspective.

The interns run an anger management group for boys and an after-school social skills group for girls, both at local middle schools.

Elgin was among the first suburban police departments to hire social workers in the 1990s, and today there are more than 30 agencies - including Carol Stream, Naperville and Schaumburg - in the Association of Police Social Workers.

"It's absolutely a wonderful thing for any forward-thinking police department and municipality to have professionals that understand the resources in the community," said Karen Beyer, executive director of the Ecker Center in Elgin, which provides mental health services.

Stingley and her team are often the first point of contact for people in crisis, Beyer pointed out.

"We in the counseling field know that when people are in crisis, that is the time you want to offer help, because they are open to it," she said.

A lifelong Elgin resident, Stingley said she never really considered doing anything else after she was hired by former police chief Charles Gruber in 1991.

"I'm a person who needs to be working on solving problems and working with people who need help," she said. "This job keeps you wired. It just keeps you going."

Fundraiser

What: Fundraiser for the Elgin Police Department's social services unit

Where: Buffalo Wild Wings, 402 Randall Road, South Elgin

When: 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Monday Dec. 14

How: Get a flier at the front desk of the police department, 151 Douglas Ave. in Elgin, or by emailing stingley_j@cityofelgin.org

Details: 10 percent of all pretaxed sales will go to the fundraiser