BY DAN TOLAND MAYOR OF RIVER FALLS

Homelessness in River Falls

Summer is in full swing now, and it has been great to see so many of you out enjoying the season. From July 7-10, our commu- nity enjoyed another successful and fun-filled River Falls Days celebration. Thanks to the Chamber and so many dedicated community partners for bringing this great event to life.

This year’s celebration felt especially festive with the return of the traditional River Falls Days parade. Getting to see your en- thusiasm and love for River Falls as our stau walked the parade route was a great reminder of why this community is so special. We all love this city, and we all care about making it the best it can be.

On that note, as the issue of homelessness has gained a larger national spotlight in the past couple of years, so too has the conversation about what towns and cities can do to help. Today, I want to take the opportunity to explain our role, as well as the roles of other organizations in our community, in assisting homeless individuals.

Providing all the necessary services for a community is a lot of work, so naturally, cities and counties work together to divvy up responsibilities. Traditionally, county governments have housed health and human services, while city and town governments have taken the lead in other areas. Just as the City is not configured to administer child and family sup port services or mental health and substance use programs, Pierce and St. Croix counties are not structured to provide police and fire services, utilities, or public works services like snow plowing, street sweeping, and community landscaping.

Within the stau directory at Pierce County Human Services, you will see titles like children, youth, and families program manager, mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse program manager, and economic support manager. Similarly, St. Croix County Health & Human Services staus positions including adult community support services supervisor, alcohol and drug abuse supervisor, economic support administrator, and aging and disability resource center administrator. Both counties have licensed clinical social workers on stau who are trained in areas like crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and substance use disorders. They have the resources to provide individualized, case-based support to folks experiencing homelessness who may be in need of immediate shelter, substance abuse treatment, mental healthcare, economic assistance, and more.

In addition to the services available at the county level, we are lucky to have incredi- ble nonprofits that exist to serve the needs of homeless individuals right in our backyard. Located at 122 W. Johnson St., Our Neighbors’ Place supports the community with four programs designed to ouer shelter, housing services, and support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

At the brick-and-mortar location on West Johnson Street, community members can find the Our Neighbors' Place Day Cen ter. The Day Center has a public shower and restroom, lockers, and a washer and dryer available to anyone in the community. Beyond ouering these resources, the Day Center also comes with a mailing address, which people who lack their own addresses can use when completing housing and aid applications, job applications, and more. While the Day Center stocks some basic food items, with a focus on food that does not require a kitchen or kitchen tools to prepare, stau provides frequent refer rals to the River Falls Community Food Pantry.

Our Neighbors’ Place also operates a thrift store, The Closet, at its W. Johnson Street location. The organization provides vouchers to individuals in need of clothing. The Closet is also open to the community (see hours here), with 100% of the proceeds from sales going back to fund the organization’s programs.

Our Neighbors' Place also ouers the Back pack Program, which provides backpacks full of food to families in the River Falls School District on weekends and in summer when school lunches are not available, and the Transitional Housing for Families program, which places qualifying families at a fourplex building in the city for up to two years.

When people walk into the Day Center in need of help, they will find Shelly, the execu tive director, Sara, the full-time case worker, four-legged Ollie, ovcial greeter and snug gle-giver, and a variety of dedicated interns and volunteers.

Sara, the organization’s case worker, helps folks break down their concerns into manageable pieces with action steps. Sara aims to be a consistent point of contact for people, even as they are referred to other organizations for services that fall outside the scope of Our Neighbors’ Place. Sara’s goal is to make the process of attaining security and stability feel less overwhelming, allowing people to see that it is a real possibility, and that Our Neighbors’ Place will work hard to help them get there.

Our Neighbors’ Place is also a coordinated entry site for WestCap, one of approximately 1,100 Community Action Agencies in the United States. These organizations were created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, planned by the administration of President John F. Kennedy, and then passed into law under the Johnson administration. WestCap provides an array of services, including managing implementation of the Section 8 housing choice voucher program for Pierce and St.

Croix counties and providing long-term rent and energy assistance. Sara works closely with WestCap, as well as local landlords and the River Falls Housing Authority, to provide individuals and families the best housing options for their needs.

Because our county governments and local nonprofits like Our Neighbors' Place have the funding and stau expertise to provide home less individuals with the individualized services they need, our work at the City focuses on connecting folks to those resources. River Falls Police Department (RFPD) has imple- mented a neighborhood resource ovcer po sition for this and other purposes. Currently, the position is served by RFPD Ovcer Luke Axley. When the City is made aware of an individual taking shelter in a public location, Ovcer Axley approaches them to introduce himself, learn about their needs, and ouer re sources that may be of help.

Typically, Ovcer Axley refers individuals in need of shelter to Our Neighbors’ Place. In homelessness situations where domestic violence is involved, he also connects individuals to Turningpoint, which operates a 14-bed domestic and sexual violence crisis shelter and ouers 24-hour crisis counseling, legal system support, and emergency food and hygiene products. Beyond simply helping people make contact with these supporting organizations, Ovcer Axley has even ouered individuals courtesy rides since many may lack access to transportation.

We are lucky to have outstanding organizations in our community with the funding and stau expertise to serve the needs of those experiencing homelessness, as well as an amazing police department that is dedicated to strengthening the lines of communication between these organizations and community members in need.

With that being said, we know our job is not done after pointing people in the direction of these great resources. It’s undeniable that actions we take as a city on a macro lev- el auect local community members on a mi cro level. Across the country and the world, development and urbanization are playing a role in the rise of homelessness, and while River Falls might currently experience this on a small scale, we know we are impacted by these trends. While there will certainly be more work to do in the future, we have taken several recent actions to expand auordability of housing in the city.

First, while we are distinct and separate entities, the City and the River Falls Housing Authority (RFHA) work closely in tandem. The RFHA is a direct provider of auordable housing in the city, currently managing seven distinct buildings. As the Mayor of the City of River Falls, I appoint the members of the RFHA Board, ensuring a close tie between our two organizations.

Second, in 2021, the City provided a low-interest loan to Our Neighbors’ Place to purchase the building on West Johnson Street that is home to the Day Center and The Closet.

Lastly, the City also continues to work closely with Gerrard Corporation, which has developed the bulk of auordable housing proj ects in River Falls. In 2021, construction on 1300 Residences (1300 S. Main Street) was completed. The development, which was built by Gerrard Corporation and is owned by West Cap, includes 50 housing units, with 10 units set aside specifically for veterans. Gerrard Corporation also developed The Depot, which provides 50 units of low-to-moderate income housing for seniors. The City is currently working with Gerrard on a third development that will include auordable housing units.

In addition to providing support to direct service providers, the City hired Maxfield Research and Consulting in fall 2017 to complete a comprehensive housing needs analysis. The City, along with the River Falls Housing Authority, funded the study. The data that Maxfield covered includes demographics, em –

ployment, housing characteristics and auord ability, and for sale, rental, senior, and special needs markets. A key finding in the study was that expanding the supply of all types of housing is crucial to improving overall housing affordability in River Falls. In other words, in addition to building auordable housing devel opments, the City must also continue to build other housing types, like senior living communities and single-family homes across income levels. This ensures that people will be able to "move up" to diuerent types of housing, freeing their own properties for others who are ready for a next step.

Because some projections in the study only extended to 2022, we have recently put an up- date into motion. Maxfield is working on new projections, and we expect to have an update to share later this year.

To conclude, we are currently completing crucial updates to three long-range plans, a collective euort known as Focus River Falls. Through several public engagement opportunities, you have let us know that housing is a high priority to you as we shape the city’s future. Soon, stau will begin work penning an initial draft of the updated comprehensive plan. Stay connected with us on engagerf. org and the City Facebook for information on opportunities to review and provide feedback on the draft plan.

Again, I want to thank you all for caring so deeply about our community and those who call it home. Your dedication makes us better.

Have a great rest of the summer. Go Pack Go!