Grand Junction staff outlines long-term homelessness funding plan and short-term options as resource center faces April 15 closure

Grand Junction city staff told the City Council on March 12 that they will pursue a long-term, request-for-proposals approach to funding homelessness services and continue short-term work to identify temporary space or lease arrangements after the city's resource center is scheduled to close on April 15.

The proposal presented by City Manager Mike and housing staff would use the current resource-center funding (about $460,000 annually, roughly $115,000 per quarter already being spent) as a baseline and seek proposals from community providers tied to the unhoused needs assessment adopted in the city's unhoused strategy and implementation plan. Staff said the city could consider a rounded figure of about $500,000 a year as a starting point for discussion while the council and staff develop more detailed budget proposals during the regular budget process.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said they want a community-driven, measurable approach to reduce homelessness in Grand Junction while also preparing for the imminent operational question: what happens when the current resource center closes April 15. Providers have told staff that closing without an alternative will create immediate service gaps; downtown businesses and residents have also requested updated…