Work on city-run Columbia homeless shelter progresses with warm weather

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is working on updates to a homeless center in central Columbia now that warm weather has arrived, the city manager said Wednesday in his annual State of the City speech.

City Manager De’Carlon Seewood brought up the purchase of the former VFW building on Ashley Street, just off the Business Loop. The Room at the Inn overnight shelter uses the building in the winter. The city paid $865,000 for the building that will become part of its Opportunity Campus for homeless people.

“Now that we are in the warmer months we are making updates to this facility," Seewood said. "Newly added showers will provide a place for people to refresh. An upgraded kitchen will allow staff to prepare warm meals and a newly paved parking lot will allow Go COMO buses to continue to service this facility.” 

ABC 17 spoke to Councilman Nick Foster who says these updates might help them offer services in the summer.

“Now that we are in the warmer months we are making updates to this facility, newly added showers will provide a place for people to refresh, an upgraded kitchen will allow staff to prepare warm meals and a newly paved parking lot will allow go como buses to continue to service this facility.” Foster said.

According to The Associated Press, severe heat kills at least 1,500 people annually and around half of those deaths are among homeless people.

Seewood also said during the speech that the city has budgeted more than $1 million for social services in Columbia in the current fiscal year.