Address the present and future of homelessness in Cedar Rapids

In Cedar Rapids, local officials and nonprofit groups are addressing the growing problem of homelessness on two tracks. One is the immediate need for help as winter and cold weather approaches. The second is how to address the problem in the long term.

Willis Dady will once again be operating a winter overflow winter shelter at 1017 12th Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids to augment space in existing shelters.

Willis Dady’s director of shelter services, Denine Rushing, told The Gazette’s Elijah Decious how the community can help.

“We're always in need of blankets, warm hats, warm gloves, socks. At the overflow specifically, we could always use more cots, toiletry items like the travel size that people can just grab and throw in a backpack. There's many volunteer opportunities. We can always use donations and volunteers to assist in the work that we're doing,” Rushing said.

The short-term needs are critical. Since July 2019, the number of homeless people living outside has risen sharply. In 2022, the homeless county hit 107 and rose to 123 this year. Just 11 years ago, the homeless count was 11.

So, in addition to protecting homeless people from the elements, their plight has become an issue that must be addressed with a long-term strategy.

City officials who met with our editorial board this week said Linn County has secured funding for a management position to oversee local efforts to combat homelessness over the next three years. Local leaders hope to establish a local oversight board by next summer.

“While we're doing the long term, that doesn't mean we're stepping away or decreasing the level of service on the short term,” said Cedar Rapids Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt. “So initiatives such as the winter overflow shelter, will be up and running again, which does help to alleviate some of the issues that we see in the core of the community through those months.”

Beyond putting oversight in place, Cedar Rapids, like so many cities nationwide, will need to evaluate the goals of its efforts to curtail homelessness.

“You probably are aware of this as you cover homelessness in general, but nationally, we're moving away from the, you know, sheltering ourselves out of the problem,” sad Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, citing Waypoint’s effort to convert shelter space into “housing first” options.

We urge residents to help where they can in addressing winter homelessness. And we hope local government’s efforts to address the problem in the long term don’t fall by the wayside. These are issues that we as a community can find a way to solve.

(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com