(Editor's note: This is just one part of a series of stories about local candidates in the upcoming June 2 primary, municipal and school board election. Find more coverage here.)
Simplified: Sioux Falls Simplified surveyed readers before talking to all of the local political hopefuls, and one of the topics that came up most was the city's approach to homelessness and supporting Sioux Falls' unhoused population. Here's what Central District City Council candidates had to say on that topic.
Here's what we asked:
What is your philosophy when it comes to addressing homelessness in our community? And what, if anything, would you do differently than the current administration?
And here's what candidates (listed in alphabetical order) had to say:
Zach DeBoer
DeBoer is a strong advocate for a "Housing First" approach, noting that it's backed up by data in terms of its effectiveness.
"It's hard to get things like a steady job, to have a steady schedule, when you don't have a home base and a place to operate out of," DeBoer said. "It's also very hard to get off things like drugs and alcohol when you don't have a place to sleep at night. So by getting people a home, a place that they can rely on, a place where they can feel safe – those other problems become much easier to tackle."
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Tommy Kunz
Kunz said he'd like to see the city look to purchase the apartments currently owned by Tzadik Properties, which sought Chapter 11 protections last year, and then fix them up to be affordable housing. He also suggested using the Sioux Falls Arena as shelter during cold, winter days.
"We need something where we kind of step up through either vouchers or other programs where the city is more stepping in to do it," Kunz said. "Because we see some private investment, things like that, and that's what the city seems to really rely on, but we need to house these people."
Matthew McKinley
McKinley did not respond to multiple calls and emails requesting an interview.
Zak Okuwe
Okuwe noted the complexity behind homelessness, whether that's co-occurring substance abuse challenges or mental health issues. He called for a two-pronged approach to both support kids as a way of prevention and then finding housing for people who don't have it.
"There's so many programs that we have here, but it lacks funding," Okuwe said. "So how do we get our business community to support this cost? I don't have that answer, but I think the community does."
Bob Trzynka
Trzynka said the city should develop a strategy to help keep people who may be occasionally homeless from becoming chronically homeless by taking a triage approach. He wants to make sure families can get the resources they need when they're "down on their luck.
"We give them the opportunity to a place that is safe and clean, where they can get ready for a job interview, if that's what they need to do, so they can get to the right locations and get the right resources available to them without any condition on doing X, Y or Z," Trzynka said. "Make the resources available. Get them a place where they can be safely housed, and give them a hand up rather than a handout."
See all Simplified election coverage here:
