Columbia City Council to continue discussions on solutions for homelessness
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia's City Council is set to meet Monday and continue to discuss the ongoing homelessness in the city.
This, comes less than a month after protestor's gathered outside of the Wabash Bus Station, frustrated with the city's warming center policies. In response, the city raised the threshold for the overnight warming center to open at 25 degrees.
According to the council's proposed agenda, Columbia will continue to work, "to establish a 24-hour homeless resource center and the strategic plan objective to achieve a functional zero level of unsheltered homelessness by the winter of 2024- 2025."
The council agreed back in May, to appropriate $75,000 for comprehensive homeless services center planning services.
The city is hopeful the 24-hour resource center can provide multiple resources to the homeless community, including:
- Emergency Shelter
- Homeless Drop-In Center
- Meal Service (e.g. “soup kitchen”)
- Non-Congregate Transitional Housing
- Permanent Supportive Housing
- Supportive Services
The Columbia Community Housing Trust submitted a proposal on behalf of multiple local housing and human services providers, including:
- Voluntary Action Center
- St. Francis Catholic Worker Community (Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen)
- Columbia Interfaith Resource Center (Room at the Inn)
- Wilkes Blvd. UMC (Turning Point)
- Love Columbia
The city said the plans will create safer neighborhoods in the community as well as strengthen the local economy.
