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Together Place reports temporary closure of day services, asks council for interim support
Summary
Together Place told the committee it closed its day space and diner to stretch funds while pursuing grants and private donations; leaders said they have $18,000 cash and roughly $150,000 in pledged/matching funds but remain about $71,000–$75,000 short of immediate needs to reopen programming.
Executive Director Joseph Hartel and Together Place staff told the committee they had to temporarily close the day space and diner to preserve funding for core programs after losing a state contract and exhausting some funding streams.
"We have about, was it about 250,000 in the out right now... So we're about 75,000 short on our goal, and, we would really like to be able to open our doors right away," Hartel said, explaining that the organization had raised private pledges and was pursuing foundation grants but still faced an immediate gap. He said Together Place had received matching donations (including a $50,000 donor and an $80,000 match) and about $18,000 in realized donations to date.
City staff summarized current municipal support — 30 hours of staff time valued at about $50,000 for an overdose response team and an ARPA grant to fund a grant writer of $150,000 over three years — and suggested interim mitigation such as rotating public‑health staff presence at Together Place and bus tickets and warm handoffs for clients. Committee members expressed concern about sustainability and asked for clearer solvency analyses before committing city funds.
The committee did not approve emergency city funding that night but agreed to hold a special GovOps meeting in two weeks to revisit the request after Together Place updates on private donations and grant timelines.
