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Continuum, Compass describe emergency shelter and outreach work at Fox Inn and city navigation hubs
Summary
Continuum of Care and Elm City Compass staff presented case examples of outreach and described services at a converted hotel shelter (Fox Inn), a stabilization rest program, and linked services including nursing and behavioral health. Speakers urged continued collaboration between emergency response, police and community providers.
Continuum of Care staff and outreach partners described a series of emergency-response and stabilization services — including a converted hotel shelter called Fox Inn — that the city and nonprofit partners now offer to people experiencing homelessness.
John Lobeneck, identified in testimony as a licensed social worker for Continuum of Care, outlined the program model for Fox Inn, which the presentation said opened in late fall 2024 as a non‑congregate emergency shelter converted from a hotel. Lobeneck said the site is intended to serve people with complex needs, including older adults, people with disabilities, people experiencing serious mental health problems and those who require ADA‑accessible units and space for service animals.
"We provide clinical mental‑health services, nursing, medication management, and trained behavioral‑health professionals," Lobeneck said. The facility design emphasizes private or semi‑private units and lower‑stimulus spaces compared with traditional shelters; staff said those features make the site more acceptable to people who decline congregate placements.
Speakers also described the local outreach and engagement model. Elm City Compass staff were credited with repeated street outreach and persistent engagement in cases where individuals initially refused services; staff repeatedly attended locations until individuals accepted support. One outreach case described a person who ultimately accepted transport to a stabilization facility, received nursing and clinical assessment, and later entered substance‑use treatment.
Continuum staff outlined connections between the emergency shelter system and longer‑term housing options: case management, referrals to residential rehab, supervised living, transitional housing and placement on shelter wait lists. They also described partnerships with the City’s police department and other first responders to reduce default reliance on emergency rooms.
Speakers reiterated the program’s complexity and the need for ongoing coordination and funding to maintain clinical staffing and transportation capacity. No formal votes or policy changes were made at the hearing; the presentation was informational and intended to help aldermen understand recent program expansion and service outcomes.
