Columbia looks to add new health department position to tackle homelessness

By Tia Maggio

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    COLUMBIA, Missouri (KOMU) — The Columbia City Council is set to vote Monday night on the addition of a new planner position in the Division of Human Services at the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) to assist with the issue of homelessness, according to a council memo.

Currently, the division is comprised of one human services manager and one senior administrative support assistant.

The memo, sent from city managers and staff to council, said the planner position would “greatly improve and expand the city’s ability to address homelessness and other social issues.” It also mentioned the anticipated fiscal year 2023 impact would be $40,530, while the impact to fiscal year 2024 would be $95,297.

However, it’s unclear when the position would be added and what exactly the planner would oversee.

Last week, the city of Columbia cleared one of the largest encampments in Columbia, near the Highway 63 and Interstate 70 connector, which left dozens of people without a place to live.

The clearing caused concern among some community members and organizations, including CoMo Mobile Aid Collective.

John Trapp, the co-founder of the nonprofit 4-A-Change, said he’s used to working directly with people experiencing homelessness and understanding their needs.

Trapp said his knowledge on the proposed position is limited but fears it is more reactionary than proactive to the needs of the unhoused.

“We’re [the city] throwing a lot of resources into homelessness and the problem keeps getting worse,” Trapp said. “I really feel we need to stop and reevaluate our entire method to see what we can do that would be effective.”

Trapp believes the solution to the unhoused problem is simple: more housing.

“All of those so-called solutions are focused on putting these folks out of sight,” Trapp said. “What we really need is to put them into houses. Anything that’s not more housing is a Band-Aid solution and isn’t going to help us fix the problem.”

Trapp said he plans to attend the city council meeting Monday night to discuss better solutions to tackle the unhoused crisis, more specifically the moratorium on infill housing in the city, which Trapp believes will only add to the problem.

“If we have a moratorium on infill housing, that means the only housing that’s going to come online are going to be the McMansions that are spreading ever onward to the south of the city,” Trapp said.

The city approved initial plans in February for the Opportunity Campus, a permanent shelter, which will operated by the Voluntary Action Center. At the time, council members stressed that the approval was only the “first step in a long process.”

Last fall, the city acquired the Ashley Street Center, previously the VFW Post 280. The facility is utilized for homeless services provided by Room at the Inn, but is only open in the winter.

The city declined to comment until after Monday’s vote, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.

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