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Westminster studies "STEPS" homelessness framework as county partners outline regional shelter and prevention data
Summary
City staff presented the navigator program and a STEPS framework to move people from emergency response into permanent housing, reporting 2025 outcomes and urging regional cooperation; Adams and Jefferson County officials described recent increases and ongoing funding challenges.
Westminster City Council on Feb. 2 heard a detailed presentation from city staff and county partners on strategies to reduce homelessness, with staff urging a shift from emergency response to a coordinated prevention‑to‑permanent housing framework called STEPS.
City Parks, Recreation and Libraries Director Eric Oetzelberger said the STEPS framework is intended to bridge the point where emergency services and housing supply overlap so the city can make more effective handoffs to partner agencies. "We want to transition from emergency to how we do business — prevention, services, supports," Oetzelberger said.
Kate Starbeck, the city's human services touchpoint who oversees the navigator program, described how navigators connect people who are living in cars, RVs or outdoors to benefits, hotel stays and housing referrals. "The real solution to homelessness is preventing homelessness from occurring in the first place," Starbeck said, and she emphasized the program's…
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