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Emergency Housing Committee reports gaps in temporary and long-term shelter options
Summary
Mary LeBlanc updated the board that the Emergency Housing Committee (formed Nov. 2023) includes dozens of local partners and has repeatedly identified lack of shelters for fire and domestic-violence victims, transportation barriers and difficulties placing people released from prison.
Mary LeBlanc briefed the board on the Emergency Housing Committee's work since it began in November 2023, saying the committee invited nearly 70 organizations including the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, County Cupboard, Red Cross, law enforcement, probation, public health and multiple towns' departments. "We came together and we just talked about why there was an issue with housing in the county," LeBlanc said, summarizing the collaboration and listing recurring barriers.
LeBlanc told the board the committee repeatedly found no local emergency shelter for people displaced by fire or domestic violence and that many people prefer to remain in-county because of children, pets and school enrollment. She also noted a recurring problem: people released from state prison are often returned to the county as their last known address and arrive with immediate housing needs. The committee plans to host Partnering Together of Portage County on Aug. 3 to share models and lessons learned that the county could consider replicating.
