Simplified: Collaboration between the city and various social service providers is showing promising results, Homelessness Services Coordinator Michelle Treasure told the City Council earlier this week. Here's a closer look at the updates she shared.

Why it matters

  • Sioux Falls approach to addressing homelessness has faced some critique this year, from encampment bans to fences. But Wednesday's updates focused on the positives, including strong collaboration between the city and various nonprofit agencies, as well as plans moving into the colder months.
  • Treasure also shared the results of a marketing campaign aimed at combating panhandling in favor of charitable donations. The City Council last year approved $150,000 to spend on this effort, which used the tagline "Cash handouts don't help, but you can" and ultimately gained 8.9 million impressions.
  • In addition, Treasure has also worked in collaboration with community partners to create a documented strategic plan to make sure no one is left out in the cold as the temperatures drop.
"We will do what we need to do to make sure that people get into warmth and stability," she said.

Tell me more

Treasure shared updates from several nonprofits who receive city support to help unhoused folks.

Here are a few stats:

  • South Dakota Urban Indian Health's street outreach team helped 180 unique individuals in the first half of the year.
  • The Bishop Dudley Hospitality House's new family shelter is nearly always full since opening last fall, Treasure said. In August alone, it served 10 families and 25 kids.
  • Downtown ambassadors (you'd know them as the folks in the bright red t-shirts) completed more than 51,000 tasks so far this year. That's everything from trash removal to completing safety checks, DTSF, Inc. President Brandon Hanson said.

How is the city preparing for winter?

Treasure has been working with nonprofit partners and the county to develop a strategic plan for extreme weather. It's modeled in part after the "Built for Zero" movement – a nationwide effort to solve homelessness.

  • She said she's tried several times to get the actual Built for Zero team to Sioux Falls, but since it hasn't happened yet, she's moving forward with a winter plan.

The plan has five key pillars, which are:

  • Living outside is dangerous.
  • Continuous assessment of available shelter space is vital.
  • Wraparound services are critical.
  • One size does not fit all.
  • Family reunification is a priority.

In practice, it means tracking bed availability across all shelters in the city and having a plan to communicate with the various groups who are on the streets helping people.

What happens next?

The plan is to continue sharing and updating the extreme weather plan as needed, Treasure said. She also noted she's looking to provide more frequent updates on all of the city's homeless outreach efforts.