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Lakes Atlas urges Dickinson County to adopt rapid-response CHART model for homelessness
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Summary
Lakes Atlas presented a Community Housing Access Resource Team (CHART) model to the Dickinson County Board, proposing a 6-hour response by navigators and up to 10 days of temporary hotel placement while arranging longer-term housing. Clay County staff described two years of local results.
Regina Reed, executive director of Lakes Atlas, told the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors that Lakes Atlas proposes launching the Community Housing Access Resource Team (CHART) to coordinate a rapid response to people experiencing homelessness in the county. "So to respond to individuals experiencing homelessness within 6 hours and provide an option for up to 10 days in a hotel if no other temporary option is identified," Reed said, describing CHART’s core operational target and navigator on-call schedule.
Rebecca Gokin, Clay County general relief director, described Clay County’s two-year experience operating CHART. "Since that time, we've had 189 households that have been referred to us," she said, adding those referrals affected "375 individuals" because multiple people often live in referred households. Gokin said the program guarantees a six-hour-or-less response, provides navigator case management during hotel stays, and coordinates mental-health and substance-abuse services and transportation to avoid placing clients far from their communities.
Reed told supervisors Lakes Atlas has been tracking client characteristics locally and nationally to tailor services; Atlas data cited in the presentation showed a high prevalence of financial hardship and mental-health or substance-use needs among clients the program serves. Reed said Lakes Atlas has begun cultivating local housing contacts — including a Milford room-rental partner and seasonal arrangements with local facilities — to reduce hotel costs and to improve local placements.
Board members asked about eligibility, partnerships and whether existing agencies such as the Hunger Coalition or Discovery House could be used. Gokin said Clay County’s CHART program sets eligibility to prioritize households with verifiable local ties (for example: employment, school enrollment or recent mail in county) and that noneligible clients are referred to regional shelters and transport services when they cannot remain locally. Reed said Lakes Atlas would follow similar guidelines and would track funding closely.
The presentation closed with the board thanking Lakes Atlas; no formal funding decision was recorded during this session. Next steps discussed included clarifying the local budget request and pursuing city contributions and grants to cover initial program costs.
