Group vows to push on after Jefferson City Council rejects homeless shelter rezoning
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Jefferson City Council’s rejection of rezoning for a permanent homeless shelter won’t stop a community group working on the project, according to a statement from Housing the Community Jefferson City.
Housing the Community released the statement after the city council voted 6-3 Monday night to reject rezoning for a homeless shelter.
The Jefferson City Council voted to block a measure that would have allowed Jefferson City Room at the Inn to convert a vacant building into a new resource center and emergency shelter.
While Housing the Community is disappointed in the council’s decision, leaders emphasize that the community’s need for these services remains unchanged.
“The City Council’s vote against our proposal for 107 Adams Street was disappointing, but it does not change our commitment or our goals,” Scott Johnston, Housing the Community board president, stated in a news release. “Housing the Community Jefferson City will continue working toward an expanded emergency shelter and a resource center where people experiencing homelessness — or at risk of becoming homeless — can connect with services, support, and a path toward stable housing. The need remains, regardless of what address ultimately becomes home to these programs.”
Moving forward, the organization said it will continue to work with municipal leaders.
As the search for a permanent site continues, Housing the Community will continue evaluating its options and asking the community to stay involved.
A special city task force on homelessness reported this spring that expanding shelter beds should be a city government priority.
In an interview with ABC 17 News, Johnston said that the group will continue to look for a permanent location.
“We will continue to look for an alternative location and to do what we have said in our mission statement, which is to, you know, is to do something for the situation of the unhoused in the Jeff City area,” said Johnston.
In an interview with ABC 17 News, Sarah Hamilton, chair of Jefferson City Room at the Inn, said that she was disappointed but not surprised by the council’s decision.
“We knew it was going to happen. But you still get your hopes up. You still hope that what you want to happen is going to happen. And so there’s a lot of disappointment there,” said Hamilton.
Moving forward, the Room at the Inn will continue to operate out of the First Baptist Church. Hamilton said that the main downside of this is that they can only house 20 people.
“Last year we learned that there were more than 20 people that needed our help. One night we turned away eight,” said Hamilton.
ABC 17 reached out to every council member for comment. Ward 5 councilmember Mackenzie Job was the only member who responded.
“There is much to learn from this failure and many harsh realities to consider when examining this situation from an outside perspective as well as, for me, introspectively. It was reiterated several different ways last night that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this issue that I personally believe is the result of a much larger societal failure in this day and age of an increasingly atomized society, severely diminished access to resources, and no shortage of greed and self-interest. Councilwoman Young’s statement last night eloquently and compassionately conveyed many of the sentiments I share in that we as city leaders could continue shaping a proposal without killing it. To me, this was a step toward progress, but I think people want to see “perfection,” even though we all seemed to mostly agree that no one really has a “perfect” solution. Many thoughtful comments have been shared throughout this process, so hopefully all parties can make use of this feedback while continuing to work toward a different solution. When one door closes, there is always a window” Job said in a statement to ABC 17.
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