City elected officials, police and a dozen service providers met Sept. 15 for a multi‑agency discussion of homelessness, sheltering and related public safety concerns in Grand Forks.

The meeting brought new data and program updates into public view. Colin Hanson of the city’s community development office described steps the city took after Red River Valley Community Action announced it was dissolving and said city staff had taken more than 60 calls to connect clients to emergency services, food pantries and rent assistance. Hanson said the agency holds mortgage and land‑use covenant interests on one supportive‑housing triplex built with federal pass‑through funding and that staff will consult Bremer Bank, the bank holding a senior mortgage, about next steps for the properties.

Representatives of local nonprofit providers and health systems described a patchwork response and stressed that no single program can serve every need. Elton Hendrickson, treasurer and a founder of Homeless Helpers, outlined his volunteer group’s model for short‑term shelter and said, “When no other assistance is available, Homeless Helpers provides temporary shelter, food, and other essentials to the homeless in the Grand Forks community while advocating and providing referrals to the homeless.” Homeless Helpers said it typically provides one‑ to two‑night stays and that most of its expenditures go directly to clients.

Spectra Health’s director of community engagement, Kayla Hostetler, said the health center voluntarily participates in the coordinated entry system and described barriers to long‑term housing such as long voucher waiting lists (about a year for the region) and extensive eligibility documentation. “Spectra Health believes housing is health care,” Hostetler said, and she described how clinic staff prioritize immediate shelter needs if patients present unsheltered at clinic visits.

CVIC, which serves domestic‑violence survivors, said demand for shelter and for supportive services has grown sharply: CVIC noted that it provided 4,400 nights of shelter to 106 people last year, more than double recent prior years, and described transitional services and therapy programs it offers.

Public health and clinical partners outlined an expanded approach to detox and crisis stabilization. Dr. Rose Julius, medical director at Northeast (the state human services region), described plans to operate a social‑detox/withdrawal‑management service from the crisis stabilization site at Center, Inc., with 24‑hour psychiatry on call, medication to manage withdrawal, night nursing and Monday–Friday in‑person nursing. She said the service would open operations Nov. 1 and will offer an intermediate clinical option for people who do not require hospitalization but cannot safely detox alone. Altru Health System’s chief nursing officer also said Altru is expanding inpatient behavioral‑health capacity from 24 to 48 beds on its campus to improve access for people having acute psychiatric exacerbations.

The Police Department presented operational data. Police Chief Jason Friedman said calls for service in downtown Grand Forks were up 12 percent over the previous year and about 25 percent higher than 2023, driven mainly by low‑level, quality‑of‑life incidents. He reported that a small group of individuals account for a disproportionate share of calls: “We do have sort of a top 11 … 6 of them have been homeless for at least some of the time,” Friedman said, and added that the six highest‑frequency individuals generated more than 1,000 calls for service over the four‑year period in the department’s analysis. City and county leaders said a state grant for diversion programming and local service coordination could be used to pilot new interventions for frequent callers.

City Council discussion: Council members expressed frustration and concern about downtown safety and business impacts, and they debated continued city funding for the Nest low‑barrier shelter. Councilmember motions to remove the Nest’s $130,000 city contribution were defeated; other council members urged continued funding but asked the Nest and the working group to propose operational changes. In a separate item during the budget debate, council approved the 2026 budget that included the city’s $130,000 contribution for the Nest; council also asked for a six‑month evaluation of the Nest and requested that the shelter propose possible alternative locations and written stay/engagement parameters (for continued city funding) that would be reviewed by the council and the working group.

Why it matters: The meeting publicly tied program-level services (shelters, outreach, clinical detox and inpatient care) to police workload data and to property/land‑use issues arising from the dissolution of a regional community action agency. Council members suggested short‑term policy directions—an evaluation and written parameters for continued municipal funding—and asked staff to continue convening the working group with state and county partners.

What’s next: Northeast plans to open the withdrawal‑management service Nov. 1; Altru is expanding inpatient behavioral‑health beds in a 15–20 month project; city staff said they will continue to route Red River Valley Community Action clients to services while state and regional partners finalize longer‑term arrangements. The council authorized the budget (which included the city contribution to the Nest) and asked for follow‑up reporting and for a Nest report to the council within one month with proposed parameters tied to city funding.