Rogers, Faust and Peterman all said providing an overflow shelter is not a solution of homelessness. … We’re seeing individuals with extreme medical needs, mental health needs, just because of the toll sleeping outside can take on a person.” Housing needed “We’re also seeing an amount of trauma we’ve never dealt with before. “This is obviously an increase in homelessness.
“It’s making the work we do harder,” Peterman said. J’Nae Peterman, director of housing services at Waypoint, said the level of homelessness in Linn County is beyond what the organization has seen in the past. Currently, all shelters in Cedar Rapids remain at capacity, and we’ve been at capacity since COVID hit.” Numbers up
“We are burning out and running out of options to meet their needs adequately. “Currently, there are over 100 individuals sleeping outside,” she said. “We were working with maybe 20 to 30 individuals a year that were sleeping outside and getting them connected to housing resources. One part-time case manager and other staffers spend around 10 hours a week finding and talking to homeless individuals, Faust said. Since 2018, the nonprofit has run as street outreach program. Willis Dady is the primary staffing agency for the overflow shelters, managing night-to-night operations and supervising the building’s staff members. “We want them to focus on their strengths, and we want to break down the barriers of stereotypes and end the stigma toward our clients in the community.”Īlicia Faust, Willis Dady Homeless Services (The Gazette)
In addition, Faust said, “clients won’t have to listen to the ‘not in my backyard’ folks, which is very detrimental to mental health. “Short of constructing a new building, this is about as good as a location as we can identify.” “Everyone wants people to have homeless services, but nobody wants it in their neighborhood,” Rogers said. In the past, neighbors have had complaints about some of the people at the Fillmore shelter, which is why the new shelter’s location - on a bus line but outside a residential area - is seen as a plus, according to Rogers and Alicia Faust, executive director of Willis Dady Homeless Services. Its occupancy will be capped at 75 people this winter.ĭuring a typical overflow season, the county and city share the $55,000 operational costs of the shelter, according to Ashley Balius, the county’s community outreach and assistance director. Last year, Rogers said, the Fillmore shelter would house 90 to 100 people some nights. It also may be used as a cooling center in the future, just as the Fillmore shelter has been used that way in the past. The new shelter, he said, provides more space and stability for housing the homeless during the winter or during emergencies. Scott Olson, Cedar Rapids City Council member (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
“There isn’t a single silver bullet that will solve it, and there’s not one single reason that leads to people being homeless.” I don’t ever remember it being like this,” Rogers said. Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers said 103 people have been identified as living on the street, in addition to the homeless who are in community shelters, according to a report from Linn County General Assistance. The purchase is funded with American Rescue Plan Act pandemic dollars. SW in Cedar Rapids from Alliant Energy for $395,000. The county is buying the 16,200-square-foot building at 1017 12th Ave. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)ĬEDAR RAPIDS - Linn County - spurred by the number of homeless people in the county - is buying a building that will become a permanent homeless overflow shelter in the winter. The county bought the building for $395,000, using federal pandemic funds. SW, Cedar Rapids, to use as a permanent overflow homeless shelter in the winter or for emergency housing should the need arise. Linn County has bought this 16,200-square-foot building at 1017 12th Ave.