Homeless Outreach and Support Team (L to R): Ali Olinger, Nick Toornstra, Susan Moore, Julie Saxton, Kathy Pinkerton, Becky Lundy.
(Ames, IA) -- A pilot project to help curb homelessness is making progress. It started after more homeless people started showing up in the City of Ames in central Iowa.
"Really, how this started, six months ago, more actually, the city has noticed an influx of those who are homeless, or on the verge of becoming unhoused," said Julie Saxton, mental health advocate with Ames Police. She says the influx resulted in more calls in into police. "In thinking about who I work with, and people I assist, it made sense to contact the ARCH (Alternative Alternative Response for Community Health) team," Saxton said.
Afterwards, a new team was formed, including Saxton and staff from Mary Greeley Medical Center, along with their Alternative Response for Community Health (ARCH) team. This new group is now unofficially is called the Homeless Outreach and Support Team (HOST), a title that was created while everyone was being interviewed by WHO/KASI radio for this news piece.
Thus far, they have been on outreach missions weekly, if not more.
"I've gone up to people at the gas station before, and just really saying 'hey, how are you? How are you today' and just starting that conversation, providing that introduction," said Susan Moore, a social worker at Mary Greeley Medical Center and member of the HOST team. The group says outreach includes trying to get people into housing, or even a coat during frigid winter weather. The efforts, they say, are building more trust.
"They're starting to recognize us," said Becky Lundy, social worker, and also a member of the ARCH mental health team, which has already been tackling homelessness for about two years, along with substance abuse.
"When we walk in," Lundy said, they will be like, 'oh hey, I need to talk to you' and they let us know what their needs are, because it can vary from week to week."
Real estate cost is playing a big role, and apartments are becoming out of reach.
"Once someone loses that apartment, unfortunately, if you don't make two-and-a-half to three times that amount of rent in income, you're not going to get back in," said Kathy Pinkerton, with the Salvation Army, also now part of the outreach team. "If we could just keep them housed, that would help."
Pinkerton says during a recent cold snap, they were able to get over 30 people off the streets and into hotels. She also says some lodging providers are helping out with the effort.
A number of factors contribute to homelessness besides high housing cost. The group says a very small number of people want to stay homeless, as a choice. A bigger share suffer mental health and substance issues, which has been the focus of the preexisting ARCH team.
"It allows us to see the depth of their needs, and how complex they can be, rather than just that immediate emergency situation where they come to the surface, you treat them and bring them to the hospital and then you don't really deal with them again until they have another emergency," said Nick Toornstra, a paramedic with Mary Greeley and founding member of the ARCH team.
The Story County Chamber of Commerce has dedicated $20,000 toward the effort, the city of Ames about $11,000.
The group says the effort will continue past the six-month pilot program, set to end around March.
You can hear the full interview on next Sunday's episode of our Focus public affairs program.