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Local nonprofit Be Able outlines supportive-housing program, asks Riley County for $10,000 partnership
Summary
Be Able described a new supportive housing program centered on three small properties and asked the county for a $10,000 contribution toward an estimated $140,000 annual program budget.
Be Able, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness or crisis, presented details of a supportive-housing program to the Riley County Commission on May 5 and requested a one-time $10,000 county partnership to help launch the service.
Be Able staff described a “housing first” model that pairs case management, recovery supports and accountability for residents with on-site mentoring and monitoring. The presenters said the program will begin later in May and initially use three properties near the organization’s day center: two small apartment complexes and a single-family house. Those three properties total nine units and 14 bedrooms, the presenters said; one building renovation was reported as just completed and the others expected to be ready later in June and July.
Speakers said Be Able will hold residents to written commitments (for example, attending recovery meetings and submitting to drug testing) and use a software platform called 1Step for GPS‑stamped check-ins and tracking compliance. The organization seeks to obtain accreditation under the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) standards and said it expects the supportive-housing program’s total annual budget—including the housing director’s salary—to be about $140,000.
Be Able’s operations director, Jared Garen, and housing director, Chad Warmstead, said the initial pool of clients will be people already engaged with the nonprofit and those identified through weekly Raleigh County jail reentry visits; Be Able staff described a recent example of a 19‑year‑old who was picked up at the jail, placed in emergency shelter and then connected to employment and housing through the program.
Commissioners and public-safety officials in the room praised Be Able’s work; Riley County Police Department representatives said the group assists jail reentry and diversion efforts. The presenters asked for a $10,000 county contribution to start the supportive-housing program and said the program is intended to grow beyond the three initial properties.
Ending: Be Able said it will begin placing residents this month and expects to return to the commission with updates; commissioners did not take a vote on a funding request at the May 5 meeting.
