Springfield looks to add more shelter beds. What can the money accomplish?

On any given night, around 800 people in Greene, Christian and Webster counties look for safe emergency shelter to spend the night. Currently, their options consist of 400-450 year-round emergency shelter beds, 205 of those are specific to domestic violence survivors. This leaves many to fend for themselves on the street without the necessary support and stability to get back on their feet.

Now, the City of Springfield is providing funds to develop an emergency shelter in attempt to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness. This is the third round of funding the city is providing to meet that need.

Adam Bodendieck, director of homeless services at Community Partnership of the Ozarks, said the community is in need of an emergency shelter that provides direct, immediate low-barrier access for those seeking help.

"If you can access emergency shelter, and you can remove the unsheltered component, you can build on that and you can work again towards the goal of stability and self-sufficiency and permanent housing," he said.

The initial funding was slated for non-congregate shelter because of the requirements set by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Non-congregate shelter means that each individual or family have their own private room and private restroom. Then, funding went to supportive services for homelessness prevention and diversion. These services include a variety of areas from mental health services to employment assistance and credit repair. All of these resources combined can help people regain stability.

"That sounds so greedy, it really does, 'We want more of everything,'" Bodendieck said. "But I think there is a need just for overall greater depth of resources available."

How has the pandemic impacted homelessness?

Bodendieck said after the COVID-19 pandemic, more families are living in their cars. The hypercompetitive housing market following the pandemic left families with nowhere to turn. That is why currently a large focus in addressing homelessness has to be on families, he said.

The first round of funding, which was awarded to The Kitchen, Inc., addressed this. The money is being used to add another addition to The Kitchen's existing emergency shelter that primarily serves families in an apartment-style units.

The post-pandemic housing crisis has also made finding permanent affordable housing more difficult.

Bodendieck said it is becoming increasingly harder to find affordable housing to meet the need for it and landlords and property managers that are open to housing a population that is often associated with more risk.

"When you have somebody who has a voucher, if you can't find somebody who is willing to take that voucher, then it's essentially worthless, right? It doesn't do anyone any good," he said. "You just have a piece of paper."

There are groups and collaboratives trying to work on finding solutions and expanding access to affordable housing.

Where is the money coming from?

The city received $3.8 million in HUD HOME-American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. These were the funds which had restrictions of use.

The sum was used for:

• $2.2 million for non-congregate shelter

• $1 million for affordable housing

• $400,000 for supportive services

• $190,000 for administration and planning

Bob Atchley is the city's senior planner and a member of the Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness executive board. He said the Notice of Funding Allocation (NOFA) for the non-congregate shelter only received the one application. This NOFA also included $2.8 million from U.S. Treasury Department, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) ARPA funding.

However, The Kitchen had applied and received Missouri Department of Economic Development ARPA funding which was used toward the project. This left more of the SLFRF ARPA funding in the hands of the city to use with additional projects. This funding unlike HOME-AR, does not have any such restrictions.

Atchley said then the council voted to expand the use of the funds to also include congregate shelters, in hopes to receive more applications to use the funds.

"I'm actually kind of excited to be able to have the ability to go back out and say, 'Well, since this is a different funding source, we're going to give you a little greater level of flexibility,'" he said.

More: Springfield City Council considers removing restrictions from non-congregate shelter funds

Providing private rooms and restrooms for each individual, as is required by HUD for non-congregate shelters, is an expensive endeavor for organizations that may serve more individuals than families, he said. Hence why the hope is that this latest NOFA will see more applicants. This NOFA includes $1.8 million of the SLFRF ARPA funds.

This money can be used to develop, rehabilitate, acquire or renovate one or more emergency shelters. They can be either congregate or non-congregate.

The goal for this money is to add more beds and have a shelter completed, rather than started. Atchley said this money cannot be used for operational costs, that is left to the organizations who will be selected for the shelter development.

Congregate vs. Non-Congregate

Atchley said HUD has really pushed more for non-congregate housing since it saw the benefits of the model during the pandemic. Bodendieck also said that large portion of the city's approach to shelters has to do with the guidelines HUD sets as that is a major source of funding.

While initially HUD focused on congregate housing, they shifted this focus when data showed this was not beneficial in supporting people to regain stability. He said the main goal is to get people to permanent housing as quickly as possible.

While most people would prefer non-congregate shelter, as is evident in the 2022 Homeless System of Care Analysis of Need for the OAEH, that is much harder to do. Still, Bodendieck said congregate shelters focus on specific populations to provide safe and comfortable shelter rather than have everyone in one big room.

The only instance where this does occur is during cold weather days when many temporary shelter sites, often churches, open their doors to provide shelter from the cold when temperatures fall below 32℉.

What's next?

Letters of Intent for the funding to develop an emergency shelter from interested organizations are due at noon on Sept. 8. After those are accepted, Full Proposals can be filed until Oct. 9.

Atchley said applications will be scored by a staff review committee that will evaluate the applicants on 10 factors. These include evidence of experience, operational capacity and project readiness.

"It really needs to be a shovel-ready project where they're ready to hit the ground running," he said.

Selections for the funding will happen either late this year or early next year, he said. The money needs to be expended by Dec. 31, 2026. This is why it is important the applicants have already taken the steps to begin work.

Those interested in applying, Atchley said, are encouraged to attend one of two Pre-Proposal Technical Assistance Meetings on Aug. 14 and 17 at the Busch Building. These will cover the NOFA requirements.

To Atchley, the hope is to help more people get back on their feet and prevent others from experiencing homelessness. Bodendieck sees this is as a unique opportunity to take big steps.

"When you look at what we've seen over the past few years, you see it's going to take some new resources, new funding, innovative approaches to really make some changes," he said.

That innovation and changes can't successfully be achieved alone.

"My hope is we're able to build on the foundation that has already been established and we are able to fully leverage the collaborative nature of the agencies and programs and city leadership," Bodendieck said.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield looks to build new emergency shelter for homeless