Metro

Cop’s job is the homeless

She’s the NYPD’s otherblue angel.

Officer Vanessa Wanderlingh’s job is to aid the homeless people in her police precinct — the only precinct cop in the city specifically dedicated to the task.

She finds herself in excellent company after fellow cop Larry DePrimo was recently photographed buying new boots and socks for homeless drifter Jeffrey Hillman in Times Square.

For Wanderlingh, reaching out to those less fortunate is her everyday job as she patrols the Upper West Side.

She started in the outreach position about a year ago, after her commanding officer at the 20th Precinct, Deputy Inspector Brian McGinn, saw an opportunity to help the hard-up citizens living on the streets under his jurisdiction.

“I came to do this job so I could actually help people. It’s a wonderful opportunity to do this,” said Wanderlingh, who joined the NYPD nine years ago after working at an office job that left her feeling unfulfilled.

Her new gig is not without its challenges.

Some of the homeless suffer from mental illness, while others are reluctant to accept assistance. Some are just put off by the NYPD uniform, she said.

“I think initially, people see the uniform and they think, ‘Oh, no. I’m in trouble.’ But I show them that I care and that I am there to help,” Wanderlingh said.

One of her many successes came just six months into her new role, when she was able to place a woman suffering from mental illness into housing.

“She was very resistant to help initially,” said Wanderlingh, who first encountered the woman sleeping on the steps of a church.

“I’d tell her, ‘It would be wonderful if you could have a place of your own.’ I’d bring her candy and listen to her stories, and finally, she said, ‘OK,’ ” Wanderlingh recalled.

The city’s homeless population increased by 23 percent last year, according to an annual survey by the Department of Homeless Services.

There were 2,648 homeless people recorded in January 2011, and that number jumped to 3,262 in January 2012.

“What makes [Wanderligh] unique is that she’s assigned to the 20th Precinct specifically and really gets to focus on people in the 20th, unlike the [city’s] Homeless Outreach Unit that focuses on the whole city,” a police source said.

In the past year, Wanderlingh said, she has spoken with more than 100 homeless people and has an ongoing rapport with between 15 and 20.

“If they want help, she will give it to them. If they don’t, she’ll keep visiting them every other day or so to check in and see how they are doing,” said Ian Alterman, community council president for the 20th Precinct.

“She talks with them. She does what she can. She’s very patient. She’s a wonder to watch.”