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Ames council shifts $11,250 to local homeless outreach pilot fund
Summary
The Ames City Council approved reallocating $11,250 from an ISU outreach contract to a city-led local outreach team to seed a pilot “flex fund” for immediate needs such as hotel vouchers, bus tickets and supplies for unsheltered residents.
The Ames City Council voted to reallocate $11,250 from a contract extension with Iowa State University to a local outreach team to create a pilot “flex fund” for immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness.
Council members approved the measure after an extended presentation by the city’s outreach team, who described weekly street outreach efforts, partnership work with the Bridge Home and Salvation Army, and the kinds of short-term expenses the flex fund would cover.
The outreach team — which includes Julie Saxton, mental health advocate with the Ames Police Department; Susan Moore, social worker at Mary Greeley Medical Center; Nick Tornstra, a paramedic working with the ARCH team; Becky Lundy, ARCH social worker with Mary Greeley; and Kathy Pinkerton, director of the Salvation Army Service Center — told council that outreach often requires small, immediate purchases: bus tickets, hotel vouchers, food, first-aid supplies, pet fees, and short-term transportation. Team members said they had helped house four people since mid-November, provided first aid and Narcan, and worked case-by-case with partner agencies to get people into temporary and permanent housing.
City staff described that the reallocation would move unspent funds allocated for an ISU-led contract into the locally run team so the outreach workers could respond in real time to needs they encounter during evening and daytime outreach. The outreach team said the money would be tracked and reported back to council.
Council discussion noted the urgency of winter outreach and the complexity of homelessness, including gaps in permanent supportive housing and mental-health services. Council members also emphasized the city’s ongoing, parallel work with a nationally recognized consultant that is expected to deliver a countywide homelessness action plan in April; staff said the outreach team will share aggregated information gathered during outreach with that consultant.
The council approved the reallocation by roll call. Staff and outreach leaders said they will track expenditures from the pilot flex fund and return to council if additional funding is required.
