Bismarck Human Relations Committee schedules Nov. 6 forum on homelessness, seeks diverse panelists

The Bismarck Human Relations Committee scheduled a community conversation forum on homelessness for Thursday, Nov. 6 and directed its subcommittee to invite panelists and explore partnering with a local coalition to boost attendance.

Committee members said the forum will coincide with National Homelessness Month and will center the experience of being unhoused and local strategies to reduce homelessness. They proposed moderators and backup moderators, asked that the panel include youth and family homelessness perspectives, Native American representation and one or two speakers with lived experience, and discussed inviting a mix of service providers and community organizations.

The committee's subcommittee proposed Sister Kathleen and Michelle Erickson (Abuse Awareness/Resource Coalition) as moderator candidates, with committee member Katie serving as co-moderator and Marabella as a backup. Proposed panelists or organizational partners named during the meeting included representatives or backups from YouthWorks, Pathfinder, Dream Center, Bismarck Public Health (Renee Mock), Native, Inc., United Way (Shelby Huntley referenced), West Central, and local providers who work with unaccompanied youth. Committee members emphasized including at least one or two people with lived experience; one contact named Tyler was discussed as a possible panelist or referral.

The subcommittee discussed question design and suggested a three-question format to balance time constraints and depth: (1) How has your experience or work shaped your sense of belonging? (2) What are current local services or efforts people should know about? (3) What innovative or emerging strategies could make a meaningful impact on homelessness in Bismarck? Committee members recommended directing some questions specifically to panelists with lived experience and others to service-provider panelists.

On logistics and outreach, the subcommittee said it would reach out to potential moderators and panelists, coordinate with the coalition (which committee staff reported had no conflicting events on Nov. 6), and allow roughly one week for invitees to respond before pursuing alternates. Committee members agreed that the subcommittee should contact named partners and then provide the finalized list and questions to staff for formal invitations.

The discussion included planning steps rather than final decisions on every panelist; several members volunteered to contact specific organizations and individuals. The committee also noted that timing for invitations should be earlier than in past years to allow committee review and scoring of submissions if the event will include application or nomination elements.

Committee members said they would meet as a subcommittee to finalize moderator choices, panelists and question assignments, and to confirm whether the coalition would co-promote the event to increase attendance.