homeless

City officials say the goal is to connect those experiencing homelessness with resources, like housing. The plan would create an Encampment Task Force that includes police and representatives from the city's health, human services, streets and emergency departments.

VAC Opportunity Campus fills nearly 150 beds each night, director said. Most clients are local, and many are getting sober.

The bill prohibits following people, blocking the road or approaching someone in an intimidating way to ask for money. It also bars people from soliciting on a public bus, near a bank, on private property and at night.

Seventy businesses and organizations have co-signed The District's letter asking Columbia leaders to address the city's "urban camping" problem.

Waypoint was designed to accommodate a significant number of people who need a consistent place to overnight in Columbia.

Columbia counted 309 homeless people in 2025, a number that is roughly consistent with the totals recorded over the past few years.

The campus will be a resource to Boone County residents who are homeless or otherwise in need of help.

Local shelters are pooling their resources as temperatures are expected to drop again this weekend.

The contract with Utah-based waste management firm EnviroServe has a term of one year and is renewable.

Plans for Columbia's one-stop shop for homeless services has been in the works since 2021 and has experienced delays since.