Addressing an epidemic of homelessness in Iowa

Meet Bryan. Bryan has been homeless for over two years. He and his family struggle to get into homeless shelters and are unable to afford the high cost of providing an upfront security deposit including the first and last month’s rent to secure an apartment. Bryan’s mental and physical health has deteriorated to alarming levels which were made worse by recent subzero weather in early January. Bryan has lost hope that the vicious cycle he and his family find themselves in will ever end.

Most people might look at Bryan’s situation as his own doing. People might believe if Brian would just get a job, work harder, get mental health counseling or get off drugs he could pull himself out of being homeless. Compassion, empathy or understanding for people like Bryan can oftentimes be in very short supply.

What you don’t know about Bryan is he is 6 years old. His mother was a victim of domestic violence and she fled with her children from an abusive relationship with no safety net. According to Linn County’s data on homelessness, more than 20 percent of the total population of homeless in Linn County are children. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development definition of homeless is “a person sleeping in an emergency shelter, transitional housing or a place not meant for human habitation.” We can and must do better.

There is an growing crisis in Cedar Rapids with record number of on-the-street homeless living under bridges, along river banks, inside vehicles, and in shelters. Providers are seeing more severe cases of homelessness, over 115 known individuals, presenting some of the most profound mental health issues and substance use disorders.

According to the National Low Income Housing Institute, it is estimated that 550,000 Americans are homeless, and more than 1.4 million Americans accessed homeless services at least once a year. Studies have shown that housing assistance for homeless individuals reduces the likelihood that they will become homeless again, reduces crime, increases employment, and improves health. A cost-benefit analysis shows that up to 80 percent of the costs of housing assistance are offset by these potential benefits within the first 18 months.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors and the City of Cedar Rapids, in partnership with community service providers, have been steadfast in collaborating to address these issues. We are seeing in real-time the impact COVID-19 and the derecho storm in 2020 has had on exposing the lack of affordable and accessible housing options in our community. Cedar Rapids Councilmen Scott Olson and I have made it our mission to create greater access to services and supports for the homeless and our organizations partnered together to secure the purchase of a new permanent cold weather overflow shelter that will replace Linn County’s current overflow shelter. The new shelter will be operational before next winter and was purchased using federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars which has provisions for addressing homelessness.

We are also making affordable housing and housing-first services a top priority. Access to safe and affordable housing is critical to addressing the underlying and contributing factors that might lead to homelessness such as getting treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, healing trauma associate with being homeless and eventually helping to break the cycle of homelessness.

Linn County and the City of Cedar Rapids continue to partner and collaborate extensively in trying to address this growing epidemic. Our collective institutions cannot solve this on our own and I often say that ‘government works best when it works together.’ Bryan, his family and the homeless in our community deserve no less.

Ben Rogers is a Linn County supervisor. Scott Olson is a member of the Cedar Rapids City Council.