PAYTON GALL, KSJB LOCAL NEWS –
Inforum reports that a panel on Tuesday in Fargo covered the current needs from business and community leaders to prevent a sharp increase in the FM area’s homeless population.
“We are one of precious few communities left in the nation that could easily turn back the time on homelessness and prevent the explosion that we’ve seen in other communities,” community liaison Chandler Essinger said. Essinger added that the homelessness responses systems are working “efficiently and effectively.”
The system of a homeless response, which includes rides to interviews or appointments, finding housing, budgeting help, finding employment, or upkeep of rental units, are all imperative to this program’s ability to be effective.
“If one gets out of whack, the whole thing really just topples over. We have evidence to show that things we’re doing are working, but we need to have more resources to help people,” CAPLP Housing director Emma Schmit said.
This is in response to Dave Piepkorn and Michelle Turnberg, city commissioners, who voted to defund the winter shelter program after the commission had banned camping on public property in September.
The winter shelter program narrowly passed, but many say more emphasis has to be put on community support to prevent people dying of exposure during the harsh winter months.
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