Latest news with #HomelessActionPlan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Encinitas council enhances city's homeless action plan with new initiatives
ENCINITAS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — As each community grapples with how to best handle homelessness and provide resources, the Encinitas City Council held a special meeting Wednesday night. The goal was to take a look at the city's Homeless Action Plan or 'HAP' and update it as needed. 'I respectfully request that you support the continued implementation of the homeless action plan,' said Encinitas resident Bob Kent. Community members filled council chambers to address the city's HAP, which was first established four years ago. It has three main goals including a community-driven approach to end homelessness, striving to provide supportive housing and increasing the availability of temporary and permanent housing. 'I encourage the city council to take bold leadership to site, build and fund an emergency shelter in Encinitas,' said John Van Cleef, with Community Resource Center. 'Let's do what we can to help the challenge people who are homeless, but also we need to protect our community and our downtown community,' Dave Dean said. Dozens gave their opinions and input before the council deliberated for hours on a list of initiatives to add to the plan. A big part of the new efforts will focus on legal enforcement, including addressing those who resist available services. The council unanimously agreed to increase staffing for homeless services, conduct a homeless point in time count specific to Encinitas, continue with programs already in the current action plan and focus on critically affordable housing. The council vowed to work with their county supervisor to further their goals and initiatives. In addition to the amendments to the HAP, city council also unanimously decided on creating a sign-up sheet for local residents to volunteer to take in unsheltered people and give them a place to stay. The city plans to revisit that initiative after Labor Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's how Ames and Story County plan to combat a 20 percent rise in homelessness since 2020
A recent study has revealed that homelessness has risen in Story County by 20 percent in the last five years. Representatives from the City of Ames and Story County are collaborating to develop a plan that will better support the growing unhoused community, which may include expanding emergency shelters, establishing a task force, and building mixed-use housing. The Ames City Council and the Story County Board of Supervisors hired the consulting firm Analytic Insight, tasked with analyzing local data to recommend ways to assist the homeless population. More: Searching for a consultant: Ames pledges $12,000 to help curb rise in homelessness The firm presented a Homeless Action Plan to the community on April 28. The plan includes three fiscal years of recommended actions Ames and Story County could take. No official action was taken on the plan since the presentation was not made at a regular meeting. Copies of the report are available on the City of Ames website. More: A May Day rally and food drive is taking over Bandshell Park in Ames. What you need to know: According to data Analytic Insight collected, homelessness in Story County has increased by 20 percent since 2020. Within Story County, Ames has the highest percentage of residents living under the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) at almost 25 percent, or one in four. More: Building trust, connecting services: How Ames' HOST program is helping the unhoused community There are 62 crisis center beds available for single people and four for families in the Two Rivers Region, which includes Boone, Greene, Hardin, Marshall, and Story counties. The data said 105 beds are needed for local individuals and 15 for families. Rapid rehousing, support that helps limit residents from being unhoused, can serve 18 single people and nine families, though 181 individuals and 25 families are in need. Analytic's data also indicated that there are only 40 permanent supportive housing units available when 76 are needed. Five actions were recommended during the April 28 meeting that could be implemented within the first year. The first was continuing to support on-the-ground service provider partnerships, like the Homeless Outreach and Support Team (HOST), made up of local service providers that assess and consult with homeless individuals on a weekly basis. Supporting the existing agencies and expanding their reach will be helpful to the community, President of Analytic Insight Amy Flowers said. She also recommended building a peer navigator program, where someone who has or is actively experiencing homelessness can serve as the bridge between providers and reluctant residents. 'They offer lived insight, they can be empathetic, and they can offer real-time guidance where the shelters are, where to find health care or get mental health services,' Flowers said. 'Their presence has also been shown to reduce conflict and help promote long-term stabilization.' More: Ames nonprofit, The Romero House, provides homeless with friendship and essential services Flowers said they encourage expanding a partnership with IowaWORKS Mobile Workforce Center job fairs, increasing emergency shelter capacity, and establishing a case manager housed in General Assistance with Story County. It could cost as much as $261,360 if all actions are approved and take place in a single one, according to the proposed plan. Flowers recommended creating a task force in year two that would establish a community vision and develop policy recommendations. 'I see this task force as being essentially a policy body; responding to emerging issues, communicating with the public and making sure they're informed,' Flowers said. Some Ames residents attending the presentation indicated they would like the task force to be a year-one priority instead, and with an emphasis on members who have experienced homelessness. Flowers said both requests could be possible. The county and Ames were encouraged to provide all-weather daytime refuge to better prepare for the range of Midwest weather. More: Ames doesn't have a homeless shelter. How does the city support the unhoused? Because a high percentage of Story County renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, Flowers said it's also important to align with or supplement local funding for emergency housing. "It puts people in somewhat of a danger zone of housing insecurity or instability," Flowers said. "It's important to make sure there's local funding available for someone who might need a month or two of reprieve from rent to address another need like a medical bill." The proposed year two budget is estimated at $73,500, with the bulk going towards daytime refuge. Year three of the action play would be the most costly, but would likely also have the biggest impact. The third year will be used to plan, fund, and build mixed-use permanent supportive and affordable housing. About 20 to 30 units of permanent supportive housing were recommended, along with 30 to 40 units of affordable housing and 30 to 40 units of senior affordable housing. The estimated budget for such a project ranged from $26 million to $35 million. Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@ This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: What's included in the joint Ames, Story County homeless action plan?
