Residents urge council to address homelessness and missing veterans monument

During the public comment period at the Sept. 22 meeting, residents urged the council to take action on homelessness and expressed concern about a missing veterans monument on the circle.

Lakeisha Krippens of Georgetown asked whether Oxford House, a residential recovery program, could be asked to participate in town discussions so the council and public could better understand how the houses operate and what supports exist to prevent residents from losing housing. Krippens said short program timeframes can place people at risk of housing loss and return to addiction and requested town consideration of notification and monitoring procedures. The chair responded that the council is forming a committee to examine these groups and to improve notification when a resident is removed so the town can better assist or relocate people.

Gary Morris, commander of the American Legion post in Georgetown, thanked the council for the Great Fund donation but said he was disappointed that the World War I monument the post had raised funds for was no longer on the circle. He also described broader concerns about an increase in people sleeping in public spaces and asked the council to convene stakeholders to address the problem.

Mark Rogers, who served on the Circle Advisory Committee, thanked the council for allowing citizen participation in committee work and praised the collaborative process.

Council members acknowledged the public comments and said staff and council will pursue steps to document and coordinate responses to homelessness, and to investigate the monument concern.