Moderator Betsy Singer, left, asks a question during the first panel of the Community and Connection forum held Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at Christ United Methodist Church. Panelists were, from left, Dorothy Day Hospitality House Board President Tim Haskamp, The Landing MN Director of Social Services Alex Hurlebaus, Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota Shelter Program Manager Rudy Naul, Salvation Army Major Candace Voeller and Family Promise Rochester Executive Director Erin Sinnwell.
A variety of agencies offering housing services set up booths during the Community and Connections forum held Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at Christ United Methodist Church.
ROCHESTER — A dozen local agencies seeking to fight homelessness in Rochester highlighted the diversity of the challenge Tuesday.
From groups that provide services to people experiencing homelessness to those seeking to help people stay in their homes, the need for increased support echoed through the Community and Connection forum held by The Landing MN and Legal Assistance of Olmsted County.
“It doesn’t help us as a community to turn our backs to these situations,” Alex Hurlebaus, The Landing’s director of social services, told the audience of approximately 100 people at Christ United Methodist Church.
Here are a few issues highlighted during the 90-minute discussion of housing and homelessness:
1. The number of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow. Hurlebaus said The Landing anticipated serving up to 76 individuals a day when it opened its day center in November.
By May, an average of 94 people were seeking services daily and the number has jumped to 116 this month.
“I need to know that it’s going to stop at some point, that those numbers are going to slow down,” he said.
Family Promise of Rochester, which serves homeless families, is also seeing growing need, according to the nonprofit’s executive director, Erin Sinnwell.
She said the organization that provides temporary shelter and resources has 35 to 40 families waiting for a shelter, which is up from 12 to 15 before the COVID pandemic.
“The need is real,” she said.
2. Flexibility is needed. Sinnwell said Family Promise, which provides for stays of up to four months, has seen longer stays as families struggle to find affordable housing and other needed resources.
The organization operates a house that can support three families at a time, but is working with Olmsted County on a plan that could increase the number to as many as 10.
Dorothy Day Hospitality House, which caters largely to individuals, has also seen some adjustments related to longer stays.
Tim Haskamp, president of the Dorothy Day board, said the all-volunteer program recently expanded the allowable stay from 14 days to 21 days.
With 23 beds available on a nightly basis, he said the group is also waiving the required 60-day gap between stays, if a bed is available and needed by someone who would have been turned away.
“There’s a need for housing for the homeless to be expanded,” he said.
3. Cost is a top housing barrier. Whether it’s rents that are unaffordable or the cost of applying for an apartment, panelists said housing costs are keeping people on the streets.
Hurlebaus said people struggling with day-today survival face new challenges when they also need to provide a down payment to secure an apartment, along with what can be two month’s rent.
“It’s an awful situation, but I think it’s less complicated than a lot of times we see it made,” he said, pointing to a need for more flexibility in rental practices.
Maj. Candace Voeller of the Salvation Army said the issue is compounded by the number of people who live paycheck to paycheck.
“That means all it takes is one accident or one illness or one national pandemic or one job loss, and it spins an individual or family,” she said. “Now, they are struggling and falling behind, so it’s not about people who don’t want to put an effort in.”
4. Increased evictions are adding to the pressure.
Karen Fairbairn Nath, executive director of Legal Assistance of Olmsted County, said the number of evictions seen in Olmsted County shows no sign of dropping.
“We have seen an escalation in the number of evictions being filed every single week in Olmsted County,” she said.
Brian Lipford, an attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, said increased housing demand and lack of state rent support have contributed to the number of evictions being seen.
“Landlords are being a little quicker to file for eviction and not being as patient, because there isn’t a program out there as a safety net,” he said, pointing to the end of the state’s RentHelp program, which was funded through federal pandemic resources.
5. A new state law could provide some eviction relief. Lipford said a required 14-day notice before an eviction can be filed is expected to start in 2024 and could help reduce evictions by giving tenants two weeks to seek help.
“The hope is that that will give folks the opportunity to reach out for resources,” he said.
Randi Callahan, Three Rivers’ housing advocacy services manager, said the added time could help connect some people to existing support, but the available options tend to run out quickly.
“We received $700,000 (housing support) and in two weeks of referrals that funding was designated, so the need is high,” she said.
6. Landlords can be a partner in efforts. Panelists also cited a need to address rental barriers, such as felony records or past rental histories, that can hurt a person’s chance of securing housing.
Mary O’Neil, program manager for the Olmsted County housing stability team, said the county seeks to work with landlords to address such barriers, when possible.
The county offers programs that help secure rent and assist tenants in meeting the requirements of their leases.
“We do try to implore landlords to reach out to us at Olmsted County Housing,” she said. “We have multiple programs.”
7. Partnerships continue to grow. Advocates seeking to address housing and homelessness pointed to a need for continued partnerships.
While they acknowledged working with each other, they also pointed to new emerging partnerships.
Hurlebaus said The Landing’s medical outreach efforts are starting to grow, which has spurred access to mental health resources at the day center.
Additionally, he pointed to work with the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center and courts, which aim to help keep people struggling with homelessness out of jail.
“We coordinate as agencies a lot of the time,” he said.
Contact local government reporter Randy Petersen at rpetersen@postbulletin. com.