Consulting group says county-level participation one of the biggest challenges to addressing homelessness in Greeley
By Kelly Ragan
Most Greeley residents surveyed by a consulting group believe homelessness is a growing problem in their city.
Urbanity Advisors of Denver also said survey participants regularly cited cost of housing, mental health and substance abuse as contributing factors during a presentation Wednesday to the Greeley City Council.
The council contracted Urbanity for some ideas on how to address homelessness in the city. Urbanity hosted two community engagement sessions in March, one in person and one online to learn more about the community perception of homelessness.
On Wednesday, the group presented its findings.
Among one of the biggest challenges to addressing the problem was the absence of county-level participation or even any interest, Urbanity said. Homelessness is often seen as Greeley’s problem to solve.
James Roy II, the founder of Urbanity Advisors, gave a brief presentation on three models the consulting group identified as possible options for Greeley to consider in the future.
We can expect a more formal presentation to be made (and considered) at a future city council meeting, but for now, here’s what we know.
Arroyo Village in Denver
The Denver-based project, which opened in 2019, was co-developed by Rocky Mountain Communities and The Delores Project, according to The Delores Project website.
The village aims to offer to care for folks experiencing housing instability.
According to the website, the village includes a new shelter as well as 35 low-income permanent units for the homeless and 95 affordable housing units for individuals and families in the workforce.
“Creating Arroyo Village in partnership with Rocky Mountain Communities allows The Delores Project to ensure 35 individuals who have experienced homelessness will have access to very low-income housing,” according to the website. “These individuals will receive supportive services on site to help ensure their ongoing needs in physical and behavioral health, life skills, and social engagement – all of which are crucial to maintain housing – are met.”
The project was publicly funded through the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.
Bridge of Hope Center
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Bridge of Hope Center is part of the Bay Area Rescue Mission.
The center, which recently underwent construction, is a 10,000 square foot, two-story structure with 26 bedrooms and a total capacity of 114 beds, according to a report by the Richmond Standard.
The shelter serves women and children, who make up 60% of the Bay Area’s homeless population, according to the report.
The center offers classes, counseling, job-skills training, programs for children focused on educational and emotional well-being, referrals to health services, help finding affordable housing and more.
Housing First Strategy
The Santa Rosa California city council adopted a Housing First strategy in 2017, according to the city’s website.
The idea behind the strategy is to get folks into stable housing, funded by the city, as fast as possible – this means the unhoused person doesn’t have to change their behaviors or do anything to earn a spot.
“Access to programs is not contingent on sobriety, minimum income requirements, lack of a criminal record, completion of treatment, participation in services, or other unnecessary conditions,” according to the city.
Boulder’s Lee Hill offers another example of a housing first strategy.
Construction on the Lee Hill property began in 2013 and opened in 2014. The two-story apartment building offers 31 fully-furnished one-bedroom apartments to support the chronically homeless, according to its website.
Stay up-to-date
To stay up-to-date on what the city is doing, when meetings will be held, and what decisions get made, go to https://greeleygov.com/government/cmo/special-programs/homeless-and-housing-services.