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Executive Director of the Voluntary Action Center Ed Stansberry presented on the

Opportunity Campus. Stansberry said VAC was approached by Room at the Inn, Turning

Point, and Loaves and Fishes to lead the creation of an 'opportunity campus'. VAC

agreed to lead the effort and signed MOUs with Room at the Inn, Turning Point, and

Loaves and Fishes in January.

The city's planning contract facilitated the implementation of the project's plans, including

a resource center to assist homeless individuals. Various community partners have

provided letters of intent to offer services on-site, such as healthcare, life coaching,

budgeting, a community garden, employment services, and shelter beds for both people

who are homeless and their pets. The VA had contracted with Phoenix Programs for

emergency shelter beds for Veterans, but the contract was relinquished after Burrell

acquired it. Welcome Home is currently the only contracted agency for veterans' shelter

beds, but VAC is working on getting more beds. VAC is in conversation with Welcome

Home, and they appreciate VAC being a part of this.

Stansberry discussed the Opportunity Campus site layout at Bowling Lane and Business

Route 70. The site is approximately 5.5 acres and contains two buildings: the shelter

building (30,000 square feet) and the resource center (23,000 square feet). The resource

center will have leasable tenant space for community partners and a medical clinic. In

contrast, the shelter building will have kennels, a dining area, laundry facilities, a pet

exam room, and quarantine rooms. The buildings will be made of durable materials, and

the RATI space will have natural light.

Thorn inquired about security, and Stansberry informed them that the site would have

security, but it would not be openly noticeable to patrons.

Stansberry went over the rendering of the shelter building and its facilities, including

parking, dining, sleeping, laundry, showers, kennels, computer lab, mailing services, and

secure storage. He also mentioned the case management piece, which will have a robust

staff at the opportunity campus to develop relationships with our neighbors experiencing

homelessness to take full advantage of the services offered, including employment

services. The Resource Center will be accessible from the north, while the shelter facility

will have its primary entrance on the south and west side. Additionally, the medical clinic

will be open to the entire community, allowing clients to receive medical services as well.

The courtyard is built in the center of the Resource Center and accessible to the medical

clinic and VAC staff for meetings with clients or team meetings.

Stansberry provided an update on the funding for the Opportunity Campus. They have

raised 66% of the funds, which includes a $6 million state contract. They have also

received private funds and a matching grant for the Resource Center. They have pending

requests for just under $7 million. The total cost of the project is expected to be $18.16

million, with $10 million for the shelter and $8.1 million for the Resource Center.

Stansberry discussed the progress of a building project and the challenges faced during

the process. They had to obtain additional permits and faced opposition from the

community, which they could resolve through a Zoom meeting and a written agreement.

They continue engaging with the neighborhood and recruiting for their campaign steering

committee. They are also launching the public phase of their private capital campaign to

raise $18 million to build the project. The construction costs are about $15 million, and

they have $12 million of the $50 million needed to build it. Site work began in February,

and the pads for both buildings are being established. The board and staff have stepped

up to 100% participation in the capital campaign.

Stansberry discussed the opportunity to create a comprehensive and collaborative project

to help unsheltered people in the community based on housing-first principles. Although

there are challenges with affordable housing in the area, there are projects in the pipeline,

and the city and county are working to encourage developers to create affordable

housing.

Clark asked about requirements to set goals to improve their situation, instead of being a

landing place for drunk people on the streets. Stansberry informed that the project has a

90-day limit for staying. Stansberry discussed the difference between low-barrier and no-

barrier shelters. The Opportunity campus will be a low-barrier shelter. A no-barrier shelter

was moved from Wabash to Wilkes Boulevard Church. Participation in other programs will

not be required to have shelter at the Opportunity Campus. While this project is not the

end-all solution for homelessness, it is an important piece of the puzzle and can make a

huge difference for the community.

Stansberry talked about the operational side of a facility for pets and the policies and

procedures that need to be implemented for it. He talked about how best practices can

be implemented to ensure the safety and welfare of the animals. He also discussed the

challenges of helping people with substance abuse and mental health issues and how to

approach the topic from a primary care setting to form a relationship with the person and

guide them towards a path of success. He acknowledged that it may be difficult to reach

out to some individuals, but eventually, they may start to see the benefits of the facility

and take advantage of the services it offers.

Stansberry acknowledged the Opportunity Campus may give rise to issues like trash,

vagrancy, and loitering. However, they have had discussions with the police department

on how to deal with these problems. They believe that it will require community will and

leadership to clear homeless camps and offer resources for them. Now, when they clear

a camp, they can redirect people to the Opportunity Campus rather than the camp just

relocating to a new wooded area where they feel secure. The police force needs

assistance to tackle this problem, and it is everyone's responsibility to help. The

Opportunity Campus is nearby, and the community should know it is available to fill this

void.

Stansberry discussed transportation services for the Opportunity Campus; He stated

RATI has requested another van as part of their ARPA request. VAC is considering how

to handle transportation assets as they come on board and has spoken with the Humane

Society about transportation resources for injured animals. The city bus has also created

a bus stop for Ashley Street that will move down the hill to the Opportunity Campus

location.

Stansberry and the commission discussed various aspects of the facility. These included

possibly having an exercise room, a family-friendly room, and a smoking location. They

also talked about how meals would be distributed and to whom. Stansberry shared

information about the current smoking policy and procedures that RATI uses and

suggested adopting similar procedures. He further explained that while they initially

planned to have an exercise room as part of the sleeping area, it was no longer feasible.

Stansberry said that meal options were still being discussed with the Food Bank and

Loaves and Fishes. Currently, the only meals available to the public would be dinner from

Loaves and Fishes. Finally, Stansberry assured the commission that additional policies

and procedures would be available once they have a better idea of the final construction

and opening dates.

V. OLD BUSINESS

Hollis provided an update on the RFP process, including the timeline and services. The

plan is to issue the RFP on Monday, July 15th, followed by an info session on Tuesday,

July 16th. Letters of intent are required to be submitted by August 28th. Staff will again

review proposals for completeness. The process is pretty standard and they have not

rejected any proposals for being non-responsive in over 10 years. Hollis outlined the

timeline for a proposal review process. The process involves commissioners reviewing

proposals, conducting site visits, and making recommendations for contracts. The

process begins in July with RFP issued, then site visits scheduled based on letters of

intent. Commissioners review proposals in September and October and conduct site

visits in September. They discuss their findings in October and make recommendations

in November, with contracts and renewals going out by the end of the month. The

deadline to return contracts is at the end of November, and they are sent to the City

Council for consideration by mid-December.

Hollis discussed new services to be included such as adult literacy programs, English

language learning, credit building, and social capital development. He said there are

concerns about the capacity of the public schools to provide adult literacy programs.

Credit building and social capital development are deemed necessary, with the latter

being an opportunity to develop soft skills. Out-of-school programming will be included

based on commission feedback.

Banks moved to approve the RFP. Teagarden-Monk seconded the motion. The motion

passed unanimously.

VI. NEW BUSINESS

VII. REPORTS

None

A. Housing and Community Development Commission Representative Report

Nguyen said the Commission is discussing the reallocation of unspent 2023 Community

Development Block Grant and H.O.M.E. funding. They hope to get an extension from

H.U.D to spend the funds and Nguyen will be a part of the reallocation meetings if

approved. The funding needs to be used or it will be lost, but typically they can find big

enough projects to use it. One example of how they could use it is reallocating to the

opportunity campus

B. Staff Report

Hollis said he met with Rebecca Thompson, the City's new Housing and Neighborhood

Services Department Director. They had a focused conversation about building a true

partnership rather than just going through the motions as co-City departments.

Hollis discussed affordable housing and the homelessness Summit 2.0. They are

considering using the pending housing study to inform the discussion. Hollis emphasized

the need to now shift new efforts from shelter and harm reduction to affordable housing to

prevent warehousing people in the Opportunity Campus. They believe that without

addressing the housing crisis, the 90-day stay at the Opportunity Campus will stretch to

over 900 days.

Hollis discussed the pallet shelters and clarified that they are not a substitute for proper

housing but instead a temporary shelter solution. They cannot be connected to vouchers.

Preparing the Ashley Street Center for use of the pallet shelters will require significant

infrastructure work which could take around a year to complete. During this time, the City

will be heavily involved in the Opportunity Campus Project. The City of Columbia received

a proposal from RATI to operate the pallet shelters at the Ashley St. center, as requested

by City leadership, and the estimate cost was $600,000 annually, which they believe is

too expensive. However, if the City were to operate the pallet shelters, it would require at

least seven employees and that would be a similar or even greater expense. As a result,

Hollis wrote an email to leadership suggesting that the funds should be invested in

affordable housing instead.

Utterback shared information about her visit to Eden Village in Springfield, which is

comprised of tiny homes in a former mobile home park for people experiencing

homelessness. The organization provides 400 sq ft homes with food prep, sleeping, and

bathing spaces. The community is unapologetically biblical and promotes #God'sproject.

They have a community building with a commercial kitchen and shared laundry facilities.

The community does not currently take housing vouchers but would be eligible. Utterback

prepared a report for City leadership after her visit.

Subsequently, a group of City leadership, including Utterback and the PHHS Assistant

Director, visited Eden Village. Eden Village claims to follow a Housing First model but, in

reality, only accepts those who they say are ready to be good neighbors, maintain a

drug- free and crime-free lifestyle, and pay $325 monthly rent. The tenants are a mix of

people who are either on disability or work part-time, and the program sometimes

accepts donations to help tenants in need.

In 2016, the tiny homes at Eden Village were being built for around $40,000 each.

However, the cost has now increased to about $75,000 per home. The neighborhood is

only walkable and does not have any roads for cars. There is a gate to allow emergency

vehicles to enter the area. The community encourages people to be good neighbors and

help each other out.

Utterback said the organization has committed to opening five more neighborhoods in

Springfield and plans to 3D print homes out of concrete. These homes would be fireproof

and floodproof and operate as individual tornado shelters. Each 3D-printed home costs

around $100 per square foot, but the 3D printer costs over a million dollars. The company

claims to be able to build a 400-square-foot home in about 24 hours if they have the right

people on site.

Utterback informed the commission about Project Homeless Connect event happening on

July 11th, 2024 at First Baptist Church.

Hollis said a referral module for the Divert program has been integrated into the police

RMS system which allows officers to easily refer people to the program. Homeless

outreach officers and school resource officers completed training on the module last

week. The number of referrals has increased significantly in the pilot phase of the module.

A media event is being planned to introduce the Divert program and the homeless

outreach team to the community. Hollis stated that CPD is redirecting its downtown

officers to be a dedicated homeless outreach team.

Utterback provided an update on the Shower to Empower pilot program. The program ran

for ten days and provided between eight and ten showers each time it was open. Due to

the success of the pilot, the program will be operated more permanently in 2024 from

April - October at the Ashely St. Center. An agreement with CoMo Mobile Aid to operate

the program is being developed.

Hollis said the process for improvements the Ashely St. Center is ongoing.

VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF

None

IX. NEXT MEETING DATE

October 8, 2024

X. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 9:33 p.m

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