Hiring a Homeless Services Coordinator Tentatively Approved by Ashland City Council
Hiring a Homeless Services Coordinator
Get Tentative Ashland City Council Approval
4/16/24
By David Runkel
Ashland’s City Council gave a tentative green light last evening to hiring a homeless services coordinator and contracting with a social services agency to run the inclement weather shelter in the garage of the former office building at 2200 Ashland Street.
The shelter will be open this summer on days when the air quality index goes above 150 and other days when the temperature is predicted to be above 95 degrees.
Mayor Tonya Graham directed Interim City Manager Sabrina Cotta to bring the two matters back to Council. “We want to see the pieces of it put together so we know what pathway we are going down before the next budget season,” she said. “We’re looking at a significant cost that could balloon.”
Councilor Eric Hansen also raised the potential impact of a homeless program on the city’s budget. “Right now it’s a big question mark,” he said. “We have to get it (our homeless program) right, we’re not there now.”
The city’s current budget includes $100,000 for homeless programs, Cotta told councilors.
For many years in Ashland, volunteers and city churches stepped up to provide space, food and care for homeless people during cold nights, hot days and smoky times. The city took it over last year when the state provided funds under Governor Tina Kotek’s homeless emergency declaration.
A homeless services coordinator is needed, Cotta said, because homeless issues are taking up too much of her time and that of Kelly Burns, who was hired as an Emergency Management Coordinator in the last year, primarily to plan for fires, floods or other natural disasters. This past winter, Burns also acted as the homeless shelter overseer.
Cotta was charged with preparing a job description for a homeless coordinator and a Request for Proposal (RFP) to go out to prospective organizations that would supervise the emergency shelter for the next year. Options for Housing, Resources and Assistance (OHRA) which operates a homeless program at 2350 Ashland Street for 52 people was contracted by the city to run both the emergency weather shelter and the 24/7 shelter this winter at 2200 Ashland Street. Its two contracts expired April 1.
At one point during the Council’s Study Session, Burns was asked if there were other potential bidders for a contract running the shelter. “We’ll see what responses we get,” he replied.
Graham asked if it was possible to bring in people from the homeless community to help run the shelter, noting that “this is not something we do typically.” The response was that training would be essential.
