Polk County response to homelessness 'significantly' short of community need, study shows

Polk County needs about three times the funding it currently gives to housing, emergency shelter and other resources for people experiencing homelessness, a new study shows.

The Homelessness System Needs Assessment and Centralized Intake Evaluation, published Feb. 7, says the resources for people experiencing homelessness fall "significantly" short of the community's needs and identifies necessary improvements.

The study shows the county needs hundreds of additional shelter spaces and housing units, according to a release from Homeward, Polk County's homelessness planning organization. It says filling that gap would require roughly another $20 million.

Columbus, Ohio-based Housing Innovations, a homelessness training and technical assistance firm, conducted the study with funding from the Nationwide Foundation.

Homeward Executive Director Angie Arthur told the Des Moines Register the study offers "concrete, solid" data to demonstrate the need in the community and also provides a roadmap for where the community should invest its resources to help alleviate homelessness.

In addition, it underscores that local homeless service providers don't have the resources to tackle the crisis and will need investment from other community sources to provide more affordable housing, Arthur said.

"It will take the intention and investment of our community businesses, county and city government, and philanthropy to help us develop the resources to increase affordable housing, particularly as we see increasing numbers of families experiencing homelessness in the metro," she said in a statement.

A January 2023 point-in-time count found 644 homeless people in Polk County — a slight jump from the 606 recorded in 2022 and the 576 documented in 2021. A requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the point-in-time count — or PIT for short — is held every January and July in the county and serves as a snapshot of homeless people's experiences, living situations and the resources available for them.

Leaders said at the time that data showed the number of people experiencing homelessness was steadily rising to pre-pandemic levels. Results from the latest January PIT count are not yet available.

Here are the key points of the report.

More: We tagged along on a biannual count of Polk County's homeless people. Here's what we saw:

More emergency shelter space for families, permanent housing for adults, are among top priorities

After meetings with community stakeholders in November and December, the firm identified three immediate steps for improving Polk County’s homelessness response system:

• Polk County needs 29 emergency shelter units for families to meet rising need since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 100 families were on the emergency shelter waitlist last summer, an unprecedented number.

• Less than 5% of single adults eligible for rapid re-housing or permanent supportive housing programs in 2023 got it. This lack of housing opportunities increases unsheltered homelessness and contributes to larger homeless encampments throughout the Des Moines metro area.

• Housing-focused case management is needed for people experiencing homelessness. It provides one-on-one assistance to homeless families and individuals so they can find short- and long-term solutions such as reuniting with friends or family, shared housing and low-cost and permanent housing.

There's a need to expand emergency shelter space, permanent housing units, study shows

Here's the amount of housing and shelter slots Polk County needs to add to keep up with the influx of people experiencing homelessness in the community, according to the study:

• 43 slots for homelessness prevention, a program that offers financial assistance and housing resource coordination.

• 48 units of emergency shelter, short-term crisis housing with a focus on assessing housing needs. The average stay is 60 days for singles; 120 days for families.

• 43 slots for diversion/rapid exit, a rapid resolution of housing crisis during short shelter stays.

• 333 slots for rapid re-housing, permanent housing with transitional subsidies and on-site services targeted to higher-need households to maintain housing after temporary assistance ends. There's an average 12-month enrollment period, but it's available up to 24 months.

• 523 units for permanent supportive housing, project-based or scattered-site permanent housing linked with supportive services that help people maintain housing. It's targeted at people with significant barriers to self-sufficiency. There are no limits on how long stays can last.

To serve families:

• Six homelessness prevention slots.

• Six diversion/rapid exit slots.

• 29 emergency shelter units.

• Four rapid re-housing slots.

• 17 permanent supportive housing units.

Polk County needs 3 times the amount of money currently allocated to homeless services

To add this capacity, Polk County needs to come up with an estimated $19.7 million more annually for housing and other resources, according to the study.

Currently, the city of Des Moines and Homeward allocate more than $6 million in annual funding for the Des Moines/Polk County homelessness system.

The funding comes through federal sources including U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care competition grant awards, Emergency Solutions Grants and Community Development Block Grants, according to the study. Private foundations and philanthropies also provide funding.

Housing program referral system needs updates

The report also found that while the county's centralized intake process, the main referral source for many housing programs in the community, is largely compliant with HUD requirements, it needs updating.

Provided by Primary Health Care, centralized intake is often called the "front door" for people experiencing homelessness in Polk County, A 30- to 40-question screening tool is the foundation of the health center's centralized intake process and asks clients to share personal information such as their annual income, how long they have been unsheltered, detailed history of mental illness or substance abuse, and whether they are victims of domestic violence. Staff issue referrals for clients based on their needs, which are measured by a vulnerability index.

Only 20% of the more than 3,000 households that experience homelessness in Des Moines receive rapid re-housing or permanent supportive housing referrals, the study shows. PHC has said that there are not enough openings in programs to serve everyone who experiences homelessness.

According to the study, refocusing centralized intake to meet the needs of people ineligible for those programs "will be more holistic and client-centered and simultaneously contribute to greater system efficiency and impact."

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2. 

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: More places needed to accommodate Polk County homeless, study shows