New plan addresses homeless issue in Joplin
JOPLIN, Mo. — After several years of in depth research and discussion, the City of Joplin now has a detailed community plan to address homelessness.
At Monday night’s Joplin City Council meeting, the 167 page document was presented to Council members and the public by the plan’s developers, Sharity Global.
Project Overview
People experiencing homelessness isn’t a new issue facing the Joplin community, however the issue has grown over the years. The Columbia Missourian reports that during the summer of 2008, the number of homeless in Jasper and Newton was 290. Fast-forward nearly 16 years to tonight’s Joplin City Council meeting, when Sharity Global reported more than 645 homeless people in the City of Joplin alone.
The most recent discussion between city leaders and the public on how homelessness impacts the Joplin community began in 2020. As a result of those discussions, the City of Joplin launched its homelessness strategic planning project in June 2023 that involved members of the community and the Homeless Coalition of Jasper and Newton Counties.
It took many volunteers with different areas of expertise coming together over the past year to create a strategic plan that addresses the homeless issue in the Joplin. The result of this new project is the Community Plan to Address Homelessness, which recommends a three-year timeline to address the issue.
Although the city has addressed homelessness in the past, a call to take action is one of the main goals of the strategic planning project.
Homelessness In Joplin
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The plan’s executive summary begins with dispelling what Sharity Global President, Carol Wick calls “myths” about homeless populations, including those living the the Joplin area:
“Communities navigating surges in homeless populations typically consider their situation to
be unique. They are often under the impression that people experiencing homelessness are physically dropped off in their community, for example, by bus, but in actuality service providers move clients and homeless individuals to where available services and open beds are. They also believe that people are drawn to their area because homelessness service providers exist there. These beliefs endure across state, political, and regional lines. On this front, Joplin is no different. This is notwithstanding that most people experiencing homelessness in Joplin are from the city or have family in the area.”Joplin’s Community Plan to Address Homelessness, Sharity Global
The Community Plan to Address Homelessness says while communities across the nation are dealing with a surge in the homeless population, Joplin is unique due to a number of reasons, one of which is a product of the historically devastating EF-5 tornado that struck the city in 2011.
The tornado destroyed a large portion of affordable housing — housing that has yet to be fully rebuilt. In Joplin, the plan to address homelessness states the lack of housing inventory combined with rising housing costs has increased the number of people experiencing homelessness, and exacerbated other homelessness-related issues. According to this plan, addressing the housing supply problem is critical.
Just as critical is having a strong network of well-resourced, effective homelessness service providers. According to the homelessness plan for Joplin, many of the highest-need people experiencing homelessness are dispersed daily, are hard to reach, and cannot access shelter. “They are, therefore, positioned to cycle through jails and health care institutions. Currently, they receive minimal targeted support from homeless service providers during the day, the most effective time to link them with other services,” the plan states.
Recommended Priorities
The plan calls on the City of Joplin to take the following initial steps to address the city’s homelessness issue:
Obtain technical assistance to increase “Continuum of Care” (CoC) score in 2024. A Continuum of Care is a regional or local planning body that coordinates housing, services, and funding for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Establish day services for those experiencing homelessness based on a one-stop shop concept.
Update the current affordable housing study to include homelessness-related housing needs.
Create and fund a landlord program.
Prioritize additional services such as low barrier shelters, street outreach, and youth services.
The first 75 (the highest cost, highest need people experiencing homelessness, those who are high risk with complex needs) should be identified and included.
Initial Progress
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Areadly, several changes have been made since the project first began. Some of those include:
Educational street signage was installed, encouraging alternatives to panhandling.
Cold night and warming shelter access information was widely distributed.
The City of Joplin mapped encampments and shared that information with coalition partners and street outreach teams.
Improved the coordination and consistency of referrals for those with mental health and addiction issues.
Improved law enforcement consistency.
Added downtown-focused community outreach officers.
The Homeless Coalition of Jasper and Newton Counties expanded and improved the information provided on their website.
Federal funding for planning services increased by $50,000 due to recommended improvements in the annual application.
Joplin City Council members will now review the detailed plan and then decide what the next steps will be. You can read the full plan, HERE.
