COLUMBUS, Ind. – Community residents who want their voices heard on fighting local homelessness are invited to share their views this month. United Way of Bartholomew County (UWBC) and the city of Columbus are hosting a public forum on homelessness on June 12, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at the Donner Center, 739 22nd St., Columbus. Everyone is invited and a meal will be provided.
The public forum aims to engage the community in creating a shared understanding of the issue and work toward solutions. The meeting will feature the introduction of key partners in the initiative and a group discussion on homelessness.
Local leaders say the strategies for dealing with the situation include:
- Conducting forums and leading other discussions to come to a shared understanding of homelessness in the community
- Modifying the social service delivery system-including a coordinated entry system for homeless citizens, an assessment tool for frontline workers, and a “Street Social Worker” pilot program
- Providing recommendations on targeted investment recommendations to reduce homelessness
- Constant and robust communication with the public
UWBC recently received support from the Columbus City Council to begin combating the problem in Columbus. This forum is one of the first steps in a multi-pronged approach UWBC is using.
President of United Way of Bartholomew County Mark Stewart said, “Seeking the community’s input at the forum is a critical first step to understanding homelessness in our community. It is a complex issue that will take the entire community to solve. The first step is to get feedback so that the city and social services in Columbus can work together to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.”
