Homelessness is a problem that local leaders are taking seriously, and discussion at a recent Columbus City Council meeting illustrates a fresh focus on finding answers.
Mayor Mary Ferdon, Columbus City Council and the United Way of Bartholomew County appear to be on the same page, talking through some big-idea approaches that have been successfully tried elsewhere, as The Republic’s Brad Davis reported last week.
“We’re talking about the complex issues that are involved within homelessness, and the only way to address that is on a person by person basis,” United Way of Bartholomew County President Mark Stewart said.
The reasons someone may be experiencing homelessness vary, but the needs are common. Safe shelter is needed. Basic human services are needed. The questions concern how best to provide these so that in Stewart’s words, homelessness “should be rare, … should be brief, and it should be nonrecurring … so that when we tackle it, we get it right the first time.”
Officials are still in the discussion phase, and it’s very likely that additional public forums concerning the local homeless population will take place. But clearly, there is an understanding that new approaches are needed. One such strategy, Davis reported, is “a coordinated entry system for people experiencing homelessness and a coordinated assessment tool to be used by frontline workers who interact with the homeless.”
This would help identify services and potential housing that could be available to help the person. Additionally, a “homeless response team” made up of service providers who can support people searching for stable housing and a “street social worker” pilot program are among the strategies Stewart mentioned.
“The street social worker would go out to ‘find, help, address folks who are homeless and (design) resources that help for that particular person, then provide targeted recommendations on investments designed to reduce homelessness in our community,’ according to Stewart.”
Several council members voiced support for implementing new initiatives to help homeless people, as we believe they should.
In December, The Republic’s Andy East reported that Columbus Code Enforcement “located around 130 different homeless camps this year, up from 93 last year and 63 in 2021, according to city records. Code enforcement does not patrol the city for homeless camps but rather responds to reports received from local residents and businesses, officials said.”
Substance abuse and mental health issues are not uncommon among people experiencing homelessness, nor are they universal. A missed week of work due to illness can separate someone from their home. Domestic violence may drive someone to homelessness. And the list goes on.
Of course, an individual approach to homelessness also promises to be the most complex. It will take money, it will take time, it will take patience, it will take compassion, it will take commitment, and it will take a community. But as Stewart noted, the idea that people are homeless by choice “is believed to be a pretty rare occurrence.”
The rest of us do have a choice, though. Our choice is whether we look at homeless people as individuals and respond accordingly to help.
