A steering committee has been formed to create a plan to address homelessness in Columbia, according to a city news release sent Wednesday afternoon.
The committee will take into account primary and secondary data, community needs and feasibility. The committee will also collect input from different stakeholders including organizations that have direct connections with individuals experiencing homelessness, business owners and higher education institutions, according to the news release.
According to the news release, the general public will also have the opportunity to be involved though focus groups and community surveys. The city said more information will be shared in the coming months.
The committee will meet regularly with the goal of showing its findings and action plan to the Columbia City Council by the end of this calendar year, according to the news release.
According to the news release, the steering committee is composed of the following people:
Alan Fish — MU Police Department
Betsy Peters — Columbia City Council
Brian Schaeffer — Columbia Fire Department
Conrad Hake — Love Columbia
Emily Fondahn — MU Health Care
Janet Thompson — Boone County Commission
Jessica McNear — VAC Opportunity Campus
Jill Schlude — Columbia Police Department
Kendall Lewis — Columbia Public Schools
Lily White Boyd — Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Mel Constantine Miseo — Flourish Initiative and The Center Project
Megan Steen — Centerstone
Melissa Clarke — Missouri United Methodist Church
Natasha Harris — Entrepreneur and Community Leader
Rebecca Roesslet — City of Columbia, Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department
Shelly Mayer — The Crossing and ForColumbia
