Ames, Story County strategic plan on homelessness accepted; council directs quick start on case management and task force

The Ames City Council on May 13 accepted a strategic report on homelessness in Ames and Story County and directed staff to work with local asset funders on near‑term actions including expanded case management, continued support for provider coordination and formation of a homelessness task force.

The council and staff said the report, produced by analytic consultant Dr. Flowers and reviewed in a public presentation April 28, lays out nine overarching recommendations organized across years 1–3. City staff recommended prioritizing four early actions: bolstering the “on-the-grounds” service-provider coordination (the group now called HOST), funding robust case management, establishing a task force on homelessness, and aligning or supplementing local emergency housing funding.

City staff said the municipality has already set aside roughly $96,000 from the Ames asset fund for continuous improvement and housing coordination, which can help fill immediate case‑management gaps. Staff described a pilot “flex fund” the council previously authorized and said it will report back in June on the pilot’s initial uses and outcomes.

During council discussion residents and councilors pressed staff to frame the plan within a broader, regional context: Dr. Flowers recommended considering the 2 Rivers region beyond Story County to account for homeless populations moving between neighboring communities. Councilmember concerns included whether a more robust local response could draw additional unhoused people to Ames and whether that would disincentivize neighboring communities from investing in their systems.

Public comment supporters urged the city to adopt clearer goals and publish a consolidated strategy so residents can track progress. Kate Gregory, who attended the April presentation, said the public wants a clearer roadmap: “It seems to many of me and my neighbors that the city is taking sort of a Band‑Aid approach… step back and think about what's the overall plan,” she said.

Staff stressed that accepting the report does not amount to adopting a binding plan; it was described as the next step in a planning and coordination process. Council accepted staff’s recommendation to refer the report to staff for follow‑up with asset funders and to return in about a month with proposed priority steps and timelines.

What the council asked staff to do next: report in June on the flex‑fund pilot, outline options to expand countywide case management, propose membership and scope for a homelessness task force, and identify opportunities to align local emergency housing funding across asset funders.