GRAND FORKS — Within the last month or so, two Grand Forks nonprofits have run out of homeless prevention funds for the year, and another nonprofit that offered similar resources dissolved entirely.

St. Joseph’s Social Care and Salvation Army are out of funding for eviction prevention efforts — namely rent and utilities — until the end of the calendar year, said Collin Hanson, Grand Forks’ community development manager, during a Thursday, Oct. 9, homelessness and housing working group at The HIVE building downtown.

“Red River Valley Community Action was the third large agency providing that support, and they’re no longer functioning,” Hanson said.

He asked nonprofit leaders in the room whether the requests for rent and utility assistance at their organizations have gone up since others ran out of funding.

Heather Fuglem, executive director for the United Way of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Area, said she has seen an increase in need. Throughout the second and third weeks of September, 40 families reached out looking for shelter, 41 sought assistance with rent and utilities and a couple requested help with security deposits.

“We currently have nine (families) in shelter, and seven wanting to come into shelter, which is almost impossible with the case loads that we have,” Fuglem said.

Taylor Restad, director of client services for the Grand Forks Housing Authority, said staff have been contacting utility companies to see if repayment plans could be set up, and some entities have denied or said they’d only accept payments in full.

Todd Feland, city administrator, told Hanson the city should ensure that those in charge of billing utilities for city properties are aware of these issues, “so that we’re not part of the problem.”

There was talk among himself and others about what policies can be examined within organizations, and whether there’s room for flexibility.

“Everyone understands what we’re trying to do here, and we’re all going to have to do more,” Feland said.

The meeting was the third of its kind, and included representation from local nonprofits that assist the homeless population, medical providers and city departments. Meetings were being held biweekly in the beginning but are anticipated to transition to once a month, according to discussion Thursday.

There was additional discussion about homeless prevention and rapid rehousing. Some people need very temporary help — due to illness, injury or a layoff — and can get back on their feet without further concern or need for resources.

Pat Moore, president of Homeless Helpers, asked whether it’s a possibility for the state to get involved in a program that provides rental assistance that could then be repaid by the resident.

Jonathan Holth, commissioner of recovery and reentry for the state, said there’s interest at the state level to consider a comprehensive housing package; these issues are not exclusive to Grand Forks.

“Everything’s on the table to look at,” Holth said.

Mayor Brandon Bochenski said “the best way to get something like that done” would be for the governor to put funding for the housing package in his original budget and get legislative support for it.

“I think it’s something to talk about, definitely, and as far as the legislation, that’s the best way to do it,” Bochenski said.

Meeting attendees also discussed CARES and the associated Homeless Management Information System, to include the work being done in the city weekly — previously monthly — to address community members on the “priority list” for assistance.

Fuglem referenced the city’s low vacancy rate, and said it’s almost impossible to find apartments for United Way clients, especially because most available apartments are anywhere from $150 to $400 above the federally-designated fair market value.

“Even if they get a housing authority voucher, they can’t move into that place, because it has to be under fair market value,” Fuglem said. “So there are a lot of different barriers and obstacles that I think everybody is running into.”

Courtney Caron, from Altru Health System, told the group that she’d recently dealt with two patients who couldn’t be discharged to any local shelter and had to be referred outside of the city. She said at least one of them had stayed too long at the Mission, the city’s primary emergency shelter, and didn’t have other local options.

Elaina Wickman, interim executive director of the Mission, explained that the shelter needs to have an average length of stay at or below 90 days to continue receiving federal funding specific to emergency shelters. Exceptions are made for people with no other options, but the 90-day average is a necessity, she said. As of Thursday, the average is 39 days.

Feland said the city shouldn’t rely on other cities to deal with Grand Forks’ homeless population.

“For the same reason we wouldn’t want it done to us, we shouldn’t do it unto others and just say ‘the rules are the rules,'” he said.

The rules can serve as a guide, Feland said, but he would like the city to agree to find room when circumstances such as this arise. He said in the future, calls should be made to Grand Forks Public Health Director Tess Wall and Hanson.

Also during the meeting:

Katie Jo Armbrust, director of program development and advocacy for the housing authority, said staff spoke with the Nest on Fourth residents to verify whether they’re connected with other services, and they all were, but staff are happy to continue ensuring this is the case. She said the current average length of stay at the Nest is 28 days, and work will be done to identify what barriers are keeping some people there longer.
Concerns about the Nest, the city’s low barrier emergency shelter,
and associated
problems in the downtown area
— where the shelter is located — contributed to the call for a working group. Reports of people lingering outside the Nest and Centre Inc., a treatment center housed next to it, on weeknights have reduced recently, according to Wall.
The housing authority has narrowed down its applicants for an executive director to two finalists. The current executive director, Terry Hanson, is retiring in January, and the hope is that a replacement will be selected and start in time to learn from him before his departure.
Centre staff addressed reports that white vans are dropping people off downtown. They clarified that the vans are Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation staff who are dropping inmates off for treatment.