JEFFERSON CITY — Jefferson City Council voted to approve a task force Monday to address a rising homeless population within the city.
The city hopes to better understand the factors contributing to this rise, and to evaluate the resources needed to adequately address the issue.
"We started getting comments from residents, and felt like we needed to get more information on what is going on in our community," Mayor Ron Fitzwater said. "Why have we seen the uptick? What kind of resources have been available?"
Business owners and residents have reportedly expressed concerns about the increasing homeless population and its impact on local parks.
In response, Fitzwater emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to tackle the issue.
"We are getting pushback from some of our business owners who are concerned about the increasing numbers, and what we are seeing in our parks," Fitzwater said. "We felt like it was time to get a broad group together of professionals, community leaders and individuals that are involved in the homeless movement and try to figure out what our philosophy is, and how we are going to go about addressing that issue."
Fitzwater also implied that expanding support for the homeless might exacerbate the issue.
"What kind of things are we doing to attract (homeless) folks to our community?" Fitzwater asked rhetorically.
Justin Windell of the Salvation Army highlighted the city's generational homelessness, indicated by the fact that children now outnumber women in shelters.Â
"There were four infants born into homelessness this year," Windell said.
Jefferson City officials are now working to complete the task force to address the issue and develop a coordinated strategy to support those in need.
"A number of issues have already been identified from other task forces and other groups," Windell said. "One big key component that was missing was government involvement, so we are hoping that by having a city task force, we know what some of those things are."
The Salvation Army hopes that the city's involvement can reduce red tape currently stalling the construction of new homes.Â
