But Amherst Police Chief John Askey and others said Bierl never panhandled and never caused trouble.

Occasionally, someone who didn’t know Bierl would call police when encountering him for the first time. And sometimes Bierl would try to find an unlocked vestibule in the Walker Center where he could stay the night, and police would have to tell him he couldn’t trespass, Askey said.

Once, in 2011, Amherst police picked Bierl up because they wanted to get him into court to see what more could be done for him. But nothing really changed.

“We’ve tried everything,” said Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa, a former Williamsville mayor.

Bierl did receive Social Security benefits, Askey said, and he did have a network of relatives, including brothers and sisters, who he turned to from time to time.

Bierl often spent the night in an overgrown area between the ramp to the I-290 and the Walker Center, and sometimes he could be found at the nearby bus stop, across from a Sunoco gas station.

“He knew how to survive,” said Cambria, who lived in Williamsville for more than 20 years.