COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) This story was edited to indicate that the ordinance is not directed toward panhandling and to include anyone who is standing on applicable medians. An ordinance proposed by the City of Columbia that would restrict activity on busy medians and intersections could be up for a vote at the council’s next meeting
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia has suggested an ordinance that would make panhandling illegal at high-traffic intersections. “They’re calling it a pedestrian safety measure, but in reality it’s a getting the homeless out of the median ordinance,” said John Trapp, Executive Director for Columbia’s Room at the Inn. The ordinance would regulate the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Following calls from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi to address homelessness in downtown Columbia, police say their options remain limited. At a September press conference, Choi urged city leaders to consider a loitering ordinance and take steps to “clean up encampments” and tackle homelessness. Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude said
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A new “Ride Home” program aimed to get people back to their support system, will begin taking referrals from the City of Columbia on Monday. The “Ride Home” initiative came about after the Columbia City Council agreed to amend its existing contract with First Last Mile in August. It will begin with
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Love Columbia says the construction of its new Love Forward Homes apartment complex is going well and it will start welcoming families in January. “We are thankful to the many skilled workers in Columbia who have kept us on track,” Love Columbia spokesperson Caroline Roush wrote in an email. The complex in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia’s new “Ride Home” program will start accepting referrals the week of Oct. 6. City of Columbia spokeswoman Sydney Olsen told ABC 17 News in an email that staff at Room at the Inn, Turning Point and the city’s divert program will be able to make referrals. The city has discussed a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Voluntary Action Center was given a $60,000 grant by RedRover to build a kennel to house pets of those experiencing homelessness. A Thursday press release says the kennel at the Opportunity Campus will be 547 square feet and will include two rooms with space for pet housing, bathing and basic medical
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Central Columbia’s Wilkes Boulevard Methodist Church will close next year, but a day center for homeless people will continue to operate out of the building. Church leadership wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend that the church itself will close next summer “after more than a century of ministry in Columbia.”
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City’s Center of Hope is expanding its services to help better address homelessness in the city. The year-round homeless shelter– located on Jefferson Street– opened a new homeless resource center. The center now allows anyone to stop into the center and gain access to resources and support. “Our caseworkers want
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia agreed to amend its existing agreement with the transportation service First Last Mile to include the company in a pilot “ride home” program aimed at assisting members of the city’s homeless population. The city inked a deal with First Last Mile in January 2024, using a portion of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia realtor is speaking out after finding people squatting in the homes she is trying to sell. Wendy Swetz, a longtime Columbia realtor, said she’s more squatting incidents over the past month and a half, and not in just one part of town. She says the issue is damaging homes, turning
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Progress is being made at the Voluntary Action Center’s Opportunity Campus site at Bowling Street and Business Loop 70 in Columbia. The $18.6 million site will house a resource center and a 125-bed shelter facility. After breaking ground in February 2024, the Opportunity Campus was planned to open this fall. It was
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Dozens of Columbia residents gathered at Fairview Community of Christ Church on Thursday evening to learn more about the city’s response to homelessness and housing challenges during a public presentation hosted by Ward 4 Councilman Nick Foster. Attendees included Public Health Planner Carter Stephenson, Housing and Neighborhood Services Director Leigh Kottwitz and Columbia
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Room At The Inn overnight homeless shelter in Columbia is extending its services by adding Saturday operations to fill service gaps in the community. Starting July 5th, the shelter will be open all day every Saturday to the homeless community. Executive Director at Room At The Inn John Trapp says the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council is looking into creating a new homeless transportation program following Monday night’s council meeting. The idea was posed by Ward 4 Councilman Nick Foster in March when he requested a report from the Department of Public Health and Human Services exploring a possible “ride home program.” Presented on
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Police Department will add a second community resource officer to enhance support for the city’s homeless population and bolster mental health outreach efforts. Jefferson City’s current community resource officer focuses on mental health outreach and connecting unhoused individuals with available resources. They also work to balance the needs
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) On Jan. 6, an anonymous tipster told the Missouri Department of Natural Resources about a growing homeless camp off of Interstate 70 Drive Southwest in west Columbia. The person said “garbage and debris” from the camp was getting into the nearby Harmony Creek. A staff member with the city’s stormwater division, TJ
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Missouri Department of Natural Resources official says work on Columbia’s stormwater operating permit is a time for the state and city to work together on handling complaints of trash buildup near waterways. DNR asked the city on Feb. 28 to come up with a more specific plan to address illegal dumping
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Utilities says it will work with other agencies and track complaints regarding illegal camping and dumping near the city’s waterways. The department sent its updated plan to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources two weeks ago, said utilities department spokesman Jason West. The two-page updated portion of its application for a
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Task Force on homelessness discussed plan on Thursday to further resources in Mid-Missouri. The group was updated on what officials in Columbia are doing. One of the main focuses was making changes to Turning Point in Columbia, including a new contract for an overnight center and expanding the temperature
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