Council members press for action on homelessness after member finds person inside building

A council member said the council needs to face the city’s homelessness problem after discovering someone hiding inside one of their buildings.

"I just, I just want to say 1 thing. I think, councils are probably have a discussion about homeless in our community," said a committee member (S1), who described finding a person behind a wall in a pitch‑dark area of a building and said the public should "rip the band aid off" to pursue solutions.

Another council member, acting as chair (S2), told colleagues he had contacted Chief Kelly and referenced prior meetings involving SSM Health and other local actors, saying the city has talked about the issue for years "and they've never come to ... where we take action and actually do something." He added the urgency of preventing people from freezing to death.

Staff and councilors discussed practical constraints. A staff member (S3) proposed preparing a presentation on available resources and partnerships so the council can see "what opportunities or resources do exist, and what conversations are being had." S3 noted challenges such as finding facilities and organizations willing to manage programs and said some nonprofit and faith‑based capacity that existed in the past is no longer available.

Councilors also noted immediate capacity problems: members said the men's shelter at Bridal Green has been full and that housing placements referenced earlier were at capacity. S3 said Chief Kelly had shared Greene County Human Services conducts a visible count twice a year and that a local count is expected soon, which could inform the council's next steps.

No formal motion on homelessness policy or funding was taken; instead members agreed to pursue an informational update from staff to identify partners, shelter availability and potential next steps.