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2021 City News Releases

Posted on: January 26, 2021

City commits additional funding to crisis cold-weather sheltering

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The City of Springfield has committed an additional $95,000 in emergency funding for overnight crisis cold-weather sheltering. An agreement was signed last week with Community Partnership of the Ozarks and the Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness to provide additional crisis cold-weather shelter services through March 31.

The City allocates approximately $10,000 each year to crisis cold-weather sheltering. In fiscal year 2020-2021, the City allocated over $818,354 in rent assistance and other homeless prevention services. The City is currently in the process of allocating an estimated $600,000 of additional CARES Act funding for rent assistance and other homeless prevention services.

"We've been in contact with a lot of frontline providers in our community and had different conversations about the need," City Manager Jason Gage said. "The idea is to open up more units immediately, very quickly for those that are homeless, because we still have quite a bit of winter left, as we all know."

The emergency funding will fund additional on-site staffing for crisis cold-weather shelters, leased space and supplies for additional shelter capacity and 10 individual “teardrop” campers at The Gathering Tree/Eden Village’s Revive 66 Campground at 3839 W. Chestnut Expressway. The cost to rent the campers is $10 per night, which would be covered by the alliance.

The breakdown of funds is:

$25,500 for staffing
$10,000 for leased space and supplies
$60,000 for 10 additional campers at Revive 66 Campground to be designated as crisis cold-weather shelters each year for up to 10 years.

“We are grateful to the City’s investment and support of this critical community initiative, which will help the OAEH increase access to additional overnight shelter beds for our community’s most vulnerable during the remaining winter months,” said Janet Dankert, president/CEO of Community Partnership of the Ozarks.

About Springfield’s crisis cold-weather shelters

Springfield’s overnight crisis cold-weather shelters operate between Nov. 1 and March 31. Openings are based on whether the National Weather Service forecasts overnight (10 p.m.-4 a.m.) temperatures at 32 degrees or below. Shelters announce by 2:30 p.m. each day if they will be open that night. East Sunshine Church of Christ, 3721 E. Sunshine, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 2434 E. Battlefield, Hope Church, 2121 S. Blackman Road (through Jan. 31) and The Salvation Army’s Harbor House serve as crisis cold-weather shelters for men while Grace United Methodist Church, 600 S. Jefferson, serves women.

Veterans Coming Home, 806 N. Jefferson, has extended its hours to serve as an evening warming site and as the pick-up site for transportation via City Utilities buses to the men’s shelters. Women can access shelter at Grace UMC by City Utilities bus line 22.

Crisis sheltering for children is available year-round through Isabel’s House and Great Circle.

Overnight volunteers are needed for the shelters. Visit http://www.cpozarks.org/coldweather/ to learn more and complete a volunteer interest form.

About the alliance

Community Partnership of the Ozarks facilitates this initiative locally. HUD established the program nationally in 1995 in an effort to coordinate housing and services funding for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Through the OAEH, HUD distributes funding of more than $1 million to local agencies to provide direct shelter and support services.

Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness (OAEH) Executive Board members

Bob Atchley, appointed by and representing the City of Springfield
Wyatt Jenkins, appointed by Greene County
Missey Hayward, appointed by Mayor Ken McClure
Jody Austin, vice chair, appointed by the mayor and representing the Springfield-Greene County Health Department
Dallas Knight, appointed by Webster County
Sabrina Aronson, at-large member representing Burrell Behavioral Health
Jim O’Neal, at large community member
Jennifer Cannon, at-large member representing Gathering Friends
Katrena Wolfram, at-large member representing the Housing Authority of Springfield
Elisa Coonrod, at-large community member
Dr. Tim Knapp, at-large community member
Lieutenant Mike Lucas, at-large member representing Springfield Police Department
Lee Whiley, at-large community member
Maura Taylor, Systems and Services committee chair, representing Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri
Holly Hunt, funded agency recipient, representing Great Circle
Kelly Harris, chair, funded agency recipient, representing Council of Churches of the Ozarks’ Safe to Sleep program.