Iowa City allocates $20,000 toward temporary homeless shelter

IOWA CITY — Plans to create a temporary shelter to help the area homeless population avoid dropping winter temperatures received a big boost Tuesday.

The Iowa City Council voted unanimously to allocate up to $20,000 toward a temporary homeless shelter on South Gilbert Street. The resolution is contingent on other area communities chipping in to fund the roughly $67,000 project.

"This is the right thing to do, period," Mayor Matt Hayek said.

Council members Terry Dickens and Rick Dobyns did express some reservations about the location of the temporary shelter and some concerns raised by some business owners who were "less than pleased" about having the homeless population in the area.

Jeff McNutt, who owns and operates an art gallery nearby at 204 Stevens Drive, said he sympathized with the efforts being made to find housing for the area homeless population, but added that he was concerned about operating his business with the temporary shelter nearby. McNutt said he had a petition with signatures from 37 nearby business and property owners asking the council to not support the proposed temporary shelter.

Council member Kingsley Botchway said he has sympathy for the business owners, but added that the site is only planned to operate as a shelter for two months and encouraged both sides of the argument to get involved in the discussion toward a more permanent solution.

"I think this is an awesome opportunity for them to get involved after this and possibly help out with funding or other initiatives with housing first," he said.

Geoff Fruin, assistant to the city manager, said plans for a temporary shelter, planned for the former Aldi building on South Gilbert Street, began this spring, following an incredibly cold winter season that resulted in several people sleeping in Iowa City City Hall to get out of the cold.

"Last year we had folks in our city hall and police lobby this time last year, that wasn't an ideal situation," he said, noting the lack of facilities and staffing at city hall.

The biggest factor was finding a suitable building, which became available when officials with Hodge Construction offered the former Aldi's building at 1534 S. Gilbert St. at a reduced rent of $2,500 a month, said Crissy Canganelli, executive director of Shelter House.

'The sheer fact that they're willing to allow us to use that space is significant,' Canganelli said. 'Without a location, this was not going to happen.'

All told, officials estimate the temporary shelter would require about $67,000 for staffing, rent, utilities, insurance equipment and supplies.

Canganelli said the Community Foundation of Johnson County has pledged $5,000 to the project, while officials with North Liberty, Coralville, Johnson County and United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties have also been asked to lend a hand.

If the funding goal is reached, Canganelli said the shelter will be seeking donations of blankets, pillows, card tables and chairs.

Canganelli said she estimates about 20 to 25 people to use the temporary shelter per night. Two staff members would operate the shelter from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following morning.

That said, Canganelli added that it is difficult to say exactly how many people would use the shelter.

'This is the great unknown, (that) people may not choose to come in, you can't demand that people come,' she said.

Canganelli also admitted the temporary shelter is a "bandaid" solution to the larger issue, adding that efforts are being made to seek a housing first option for the area homeless population.