Latest news with #DesMoinesAreaRegionalTransitAuthority
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DART plans 10% cut to service amid budget constraints, loss in member cities
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) announced it's planning a 10% cut to services. On Tuesday evening, the DART commission approved the service cuts. The decision comes as DART continues to work to close its budget shortfall and cities like Pleasant Hill and Grimes have decided to cancel service. 'The Commission made the fiscally responsible decision to draft a new bus network based on a budget the region can confidently afford,' DART Commission Chair and Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen said in a statement. 'DART will present a draft plan in September for public input, as we work to finalize the new network by early 2026. Our goal is to provide long-term stability for the residents of our communities who rely on DART to go about their daily lives.' Hundreds of volunteers needed for National Speech and Debate Tournament in Des Moines DART said 90% of its current service will still be maintained, but the new plan would increase service on high-use routes and would limit, or eliminate, service to areas that are rarely used. For member cities that have less ridership like Altoona and Clive, DART is considering utilizing a micro transit to ensure residents in those areas can still access transportation if needed. The new proposed bus network will be released by DART for public input before a plan is finalized by the DART Commission in January 2026. If approved, the new routes would begin in summer 2026. DART said it currently has a balanced budget and will continue operating at its normal levels until the new routes are implemented. Metro News: DART plans 10% cut to service amid budget constraints, loss in member cities Investigation continues into fatal Des Moines motorcycle crash DMPS selling student-run radio station KDPS 88.1 FM DMPD ends 30×30 initiative to comply with state law banning DEI 'Suspicious package' found near Federal Building shuts down downtown DSM road Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Des Moines' emergency homeless shelter will limit space during extreme cold, heat
Central Iowa's largest homeless shelter will no longer accept extra people in times of extreme cold or heat, saying it can't afford it. Polk County's weather amnesty program goes into effect during extremely cold and hot temperatures, requiring shelters such as Central Iowa Shelter & Services (CISS) to house more people beyond its 150-bed limit. Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority provides rides to warming and cooling shelters during this time. But because of budget constraints, CISS will not exceed the number of beds people normally can access: 100 for men and 50 for women, CEO Melissa O'Neil said during a Polk County Board of Supervisors meeting last week. The agency will keep 20 additional overflow slots for communities that have agreements with CISS, including West Des Moines, Clive and Waukee, O'Neil said. The organization's food services and hours also are taking a hit, she added. The cap comes months after Des Moines passed a new law banning people from sleeping in public places. The ban largely shifts a burden of care on homeless service providers who have previously said they were already strapped for resources well ahead of its implementation. More: 'Getting rid of us': Des Moines' homeless fear what they'll lose as camping ban begins The restriction was not an easy decision, O'Neil told supervisors March 11, pointing to the agency's origins: CISS was created in 1992 when five people living in the streets of Des Moines died after they were denied shelter. Last January, Polk County found approximately 715 homeless people — 147 of who were unsheltered — on a single night during a bi-annual point-in-time count. "This decision to cap our facility weighed very heavy on our hearts as we also try to work to make sure we have a balanced budget and that we're here to provide support long term," O'Neil told supervisors. The organization will participate in weather amnesty through April, O'Neil wrote in an email to the Des Moines Register. Except for reduced numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, CISS has experienced seasonal highs and lows since the current facility at 1420 Mulberry St. opened in 2012, O'Neil told the Register. Those increased numbers have placed a "significant strain on resources, making it necessary to ensure we can continue providing sustainable services to those in shelter," she wrote. O'Neil estimates CISS spends about $66 per person in its facility per day. This includes overnight shelter, three meals, case management, job training programs, laundry, utility bills and security. Nearly 1,800 people visited CISS' emergency shelter between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, and stayed an average 28 days, according to the organization's 2023 annual report. On March 11, Polk supervisors approved nearly $299,000 in Emergency Rental Assistance funds to CISS for critical infrastructure repairs related to lighting, security cameras and a fire panel that's out of code. A second funding allocation to CISS could go before the supervisors as soon as March 25 to replace HVAC units and equipment in the community kitchen and help address hot water concerns, O'Neil wrote. The agency, which has an approximate $6.5 million annual budget, is largely funded with federal dollars for operations. But it relies on donations to pay the costs to house additional people during extreme weather, O'Neil said. CISS spent $100,500 over 10 days under weather amnesty in January, she said. That extra cost went to additional staff, food and off-duty officers who monitor the building 24 hours a day. What's more, O'Neil projects that extra cost would rise to an estimated $136,000 during the same 10-day weather amnesty period in fiscal year 2026, which starts July 1. "So those extra costs are really starting to weigh financially on CISS," she said. O'Neil said she hopes the announcement spurs more community conversation about the "wear and tear" of the facility's maintenance and staff, as well as the need for more emergency shelters in the metro. Part of the effort will be getting service providers across Iowa to "do their part," O'Neil said. In a recent call with emergency shelter and service providers across the state, O'Neil said she learned multiple shelters were at 75% occupancy and not doing weather amnesty. CISS has spent $250,000 of its federal funds outside of the county to keep people in their hometowns in fiscal year 2025, O'Neil said. That includes $75,000 in Poweshiek County. "We understand the financial (implications) of this. We understand the concerns that are going to be in the downtown community and we really hope that we can keep having conversations so we're prepared for next winter. "But at this point in time, we just have to draw the line," she said. Polk County supervisor Angela Connolly, who estimates the weather amnesty program runs about 30 to 45 days each year, is concerned about how the county will fill the gap. "I would like her to figure out how to keep this in operation so that she can continue to meet weather amnesty … so, I'm hoping that the community can step up," Connolly said of O'Neil during the meeting. "We cannot continue to go down this path and I don't think … the city of Des Moines can do it by themselves." Polk County's extreme temperature plan ran for 30 days between December and the end of February this season, Polk County officials told the Register. More: See inside a former Days Inn Hotel converted into permanent housing for homeless people CISS' business hours and meal services also are poised to change in May. Two years ago, CISS operated day services from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., O'Neil wrote. But after meeting with community leaders, the organization changed its hours from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to allow unsheltered people to enter before the morning commute downtown and keep them inside for the evening commute. Those hours are no longer financially sustainable, O'Neil told the Register. CISS will remain a 24/7 facility. But business hours will change from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the agency will no longer provide breakfast and dinner to all unsheltered people — only those who spend the night at CISS, O'Neil said. Free lunch will still be available from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to anyone who stops by CISS. People also can still access showers, the clothing closet and food pantry during business hours. Currently, CISS staff serves about 200 meals each day for breakfast, about 250 for dinner, and from 250 to 300 meals for lunch, O'Neil told the Register. For extreme heat, the temperatures must reach a 95-degree heat index or higher, and two consecutive days where the heat index doesn't drop below 75 degrees at night, according to the county. For extreme cold, temperatures must reach any of the following: a 10-degree wind chill for three consecutive days or more, a 5-degree wind chill for two consecutive days or more, or a 0-degree wind chill for one or more days. For more information, visit Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@ Follow her on X at @vbarreda2. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines homeless shelter stops overflow during extreme cold, heat
