Yesterday, I attended the Bowling Green City Commission Special Work Session on the Homeless. First, I want to thank our Mayor Todd Alcott for both his selection of venue, The Sloan Convention Center, and his use of an independent organization, the Kentucky League of Cities, as moderator. These choices created a forum where all voices could be heard.
Approximately 70 citizens, 15 public servants, representatives from 16 public service organizations, and the Bowling Green City Commission were present. Only public service organizations were allowed to present.
The presenters were:
Anti-eviction Network
Hotel Inc.
BRASS
Habitat for Humanity
Bowling Green Housing Authority
Veterans brigade
LifeSkills
Salvation Army
United way of Southern Kentucky
Department of Veterans Affairs
Room In the Inn
Bowling Green Human Rights Commission
Key takeaways:
Three organizations serve the homeless by providing a place to stay. The Salvation Army has 80 beds, Room In the Inn has beds available November through March, and the Bowling Green Housing Authority provides additional rooms. The remaining organizations provide vouchers, coordinate services, and provide other periphery services for broader communities, including the homeless.
There was no consensus on what should be done.
There was no common definition of homelessness.
There was no broad support for a City Homeless Coordinator.
Common ground:
Everyone agreed that homelessness is a challenge and that the city has a role to play.
There was general support for using public grant monies to address the issue – but a number of ideas regarding how to do so. Some of these include:
1. Creating a centralized location, funded by the city, where all organizations serving the homeless would be located. This ideas is based on the Single Point of Entry concept, where this location would serve as a drop in center for people in crisis.
2. Creating a city trust fund for low-income housing.
3. Hiring outside consultants to advise the city about how to provide adequate low-income housing.
Mayor Alcott noted that homelessness is bigger than Bowling Green, and any action would require the city and the county to act jointly. He asked commissioners to take what was presented, and use that to assist them in managing the city. No follow up meeting was scheduled.
Closing comments:
Warren County Conservatives, the Republican Women’s Club of South Central Kentucky, and other conservatives attended en force, and that voice was noted. It was obvious that many want to address homelessness, but the majority did not want a city homeless coordinator.
Dana Beasley Brown was an embarrassment. She left the meeting for 20 minutes during the presentation phase and tried to hijack the meeting on two occasions. First she appeared to be behind an effort that invited a homeless man to discuss his plight, even though it was outside the purview of the meeting. Second, Beasley Brown used time designated for asking questions to extend more speaking time for one organization – Hotel Inc. These efforts appeared to be a direct solution pitch imploring the city to hire a Canadian firm to advise on homeless issues.
The following picture best describes the solution presented by Beasley Brown. It lists organizations that do not participate in the Continuum of Care. Beasley Brown’s plan only includes those that do participate in the Continuum of Care. The organizations in her proposal don’t provide housing for the homeless.
