Columbia staff outline task force progress, PIT-count concerns, budget and pilot plan for unsheltered residents

City of Columbia staff and the task force to prevent and end homelessness reported progress in shelter and outreach programs while flagging limits in federal PIT (point-in-time) counts and laying out a short-term blueprint and consultant search to guide expanded services.

The task force chair, Audity Bostles, told the ad hoc committee the city has stood up a Homeless Services department and a rapid-shelter program that moved nearly 100 people into permanent housing. Staff also said they are expanding coordinated outreach and after-5 response capacity and are seeking to strengthen partnerships with providers, law enforcement and neighboring jurisdictions.

Why it matters: committee members were asked to weigh near-term pilot investments and a procurement to hire a nationally recognized consultant to assess how Columbia and the surrounding 13-county continuum of care can better align services, funding and a corridor-based pilot that city staff expect to start in July and run through January for evaluation.

Key facts and context

- PIT count and undercount concerns: Staff reported HUD’s 2024 PIT summary for the 13-county service area listed 1,423 people experiencing homelessness, with 334 chronically unsheltered and 760 people with disabling conditions; 132 were listed as veterans and 198 as survivors of domestic violence. Staff said those HUD numbers are likely an undercount locally and estimated many people were missed in wooded or rural pockets outside downtown.

- Rapid shelter and services: The city created an internal Homeless Services department and described the rapid-shelter program as the most significant recent success. Staff reported that rapid shelter and related outreach have connected people with beds and…