Local navigation center asks Natrona County for $90,500 to expand services for unhoused residents

KindGrounds, a Casper navigation center that provides meals, daytime shelter and case navigation for people experiencing homelessness, asked the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 5 for $90,500 to expand operations. The request was presented by Gary Shockey and Dan O'Dell, who described services at KindGrounds including hot meals, cots, transportation to appointments, hygiene kits and on-site counseling, and said the operation is currently constrained by funding and open three days a week. The request matters because commissioners set local budget priorities and the center said additional county funding would allow it to expand to five days per week, hire more part-time staff and add an executive director to coordinate operations. “We offer a pathway of stability for the unhoused,” Dan O'Dell said, describing KindGrounds as a low-barrier navigation center where partners can meet clients and provide referrals. “We have free meals and snacks, safe shelter, transportation, access to resources.” Gary Shockey, who said he serves on the KindGrounds board, and licensed clinical social worker Dave Hall Hughes described outcomes they have seen since operations began in November 2023. “We have seen a number of people acquire housing, acquire work, acquire an opportunity to reintegrate their lives,” Hall Hughes said. Details and context: KindGrounds said it currently operates three days a week with an annual budget of about $144,000 and four part-time staff. The presenters cited a national comparison—navigation centers in other communities often operate on budgets near $530,000 a year—and said about $90,500 would allow KindGrounds to hire additional staff and expand to five days a week. The group listed partners including Central Wyoming Counseling Center, Casper Area Transportation Coalition, Community Action, Healthcare for the Homeless, Wyoming Housing Network and the Food Bank of Wyoming. The center’s address is 315 CY Avenue and staff offered commissioners a site visit. Commissioners’ reaction and next steps: Commissioners expressed support for KindGrounds’ mission but asked for more detail before committing county funding. Commissioner Nicholson said he wanted additional information about existing partners and funding sources and offered to discuss potential partners offline. Another commissioner said the county’s budget process imposes timing and legal constraints and requested a concise, itemized funding request showing what the county would pay for and when. No formal county appropriation or motion was made at the meeting. Staff and commissioners indicated they would follow up with KindGrounds and that the center should supply a written budget and a breakdown of how $90,500 would be spent before commissioners would consider formal funding. Questions remaining: KindGrounds gave an initial funding ask and high-level budget figures but commissioners asked for an itemized request and partner commitments before any county funds would be approved. The center said it may also pursue opioid-related grant funds in the future and would return with additional requests as opportunities arise. KindGrounds representatives asked commissioners to visit the facility and offered to provide written financials and partner letters to support a future funding request.