By Debby Woodin
dwoodin@joplinglobe.com
Another anonymous funding offer has been made to help advance a proposal to build an intake center, and temporary and transitional housing in Joplin for people who are homeless.
City Manager Mark Rohr told a steering committee Thursday that he has been informed that an individual who wishes to remain anonymous has pledged $3,000 a month indefinitely toward the cost of a $3.25 million coordination center and other services recommended by a study report. He said specifics as to exactly how the money could be used would have to be ascertained.
The steering committee, composed of representatives of city government, social service agencies and faith organizations that provide services to the homeless, met Thursday with members of the homeless study committee to discuss how to proceed. The study, conducted over a year to learn how other cities were constructively dealing with getting homeless people back into stable housing and jobs, was presented last month. It called for implementation of its recommendation to begin within 30 days so that interest in proceeding with work on the project would not wane.
Rohr told the City Council last month that an organization that did not want to be identified had offered to give $500,000 toward the project if the city would agree to give the same amount. The City Council agreed to earmark $500,000 toward the project.
Implementation group
The steering committee on Thursday concurred that a group should be appointed to get work going on implementing the recommendations in the plan, and that it should have some leeway on what parts of the plan would work. That panel also should have the authority to appoint subcommittees on specific issues, members said. There also should be some structure for accountability, steering committee members said, with some saying that the city should continue to be in charge.
“The city wants to be involved but not be in charge, based on comments from council,” Rohr told the committee. Some City Council members said that while they agreed with giving taxpayer money to help seed the project, they did not want the city in charge of the project or the operations of the intake center.
The committee agreed that the implementation group should have 12 to 15 people representing government, social services, faith organizations, and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and/or local businesses, and a former homeless person.
The group agreed to appoint four steering committee members to identify candidates for the implementation panel and talk to the individuals privately about whether they would or could serve. The names of the those people are to be presented at a meeting scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22.
The recommendations are to be submitted by Dan Pekarek, the city health director, and James Whitford, founder of Watered Gardens, who were co-chairmen of the study committee; John Joines, of the Economic Security Corp.; and Greg Lesley, owner of Lesley Business Centers.
Other towns
In conducting the study, committee members looked at programs in other cities. They found that in about 300 cities considered to be successful in keeping people from living on the streets, programs exist to immediately place a person in supportive housing that supplies a place to live as well as help in achieving an income.
The study suggested that about 125 people are homeless in Joplin at any given time, and that there is a need for emergency intake of about 20 people at a time.
All shelter offered currently is temporary, rather than transitional or permanent.
About half of those designated as homeless in Joplin during the study said their situation was because of addiction problems. They spent some of their time in jails or hospitals in addition to living on the street.
Most of the others were homeless because of economic reasons brought on by either a serious health problem or a family crisis, according to the study.
Committee’s objective
The homeless study committee stated in its report that the objective should be to increase the number of permanent, supportive housing beds available in the city by building housing, rehabilitating properties and providing support services to get people back to independent living.
