Oak Forest Police Launch New 'Find My Home' Program

OAK FOREST, IL — The city of Oak Forest has introduced a new, free program dedicated to helping residents with disabilities get home safely.

The Find My Home Program is designed to help adults and children with disabilities— who may be unable to find their way home in Oak Forest— get there through a database only accessible to the Oak Forest Police Department. The database is used to assist the individuals in finding their residence when they cannot communicate it, according to the city.

This database will include a picture of the child or adult, information on their disability, physical description and emergency contact information, according to the city. If the individual is encountered alone or is reported missing, the officers can access the database by their name or description to locate their information.

"This program is open to any adult OR child who may have difficulty communicating due to a developmental or cognitive disability, while lost or in an emergency situation," the city said in a news release.

"These individuals tend to be at risk for wandering and may include people with disabilities such as Alzheimer’s, Autism, Dementia, Down Syndrome etc. We ask that anyone enrolling an individual is either a family member, legal guardian or is turning in a signed registration form on behalf of the individual’s family with their permission."

Learn more about the program and fill out an application, here.