(From the City of Joplin)City of Joplin officials are asking residents, business and property owners, and all interested citizens to participate in a survey related to homelessness as part of a Homeless Study being conducted.
This information-gathering stage is important as the first step to learning more about the homeless service providers, existing service offerings and gaps, and current collaborative efforts. Responses to the questions will help determine possible resolutions and best practices for the Joplin community.
Take the survey here or this QR code can be used with smartphones. The survey is open through July 14, 2023.
The City recently contracted Sharity Global from Winter Park, Florida, to work with the City and its partners including the homeless coalition agencies and organizations to conduct the study and develop a strategic plan to address various community matters involved with homelessness.
Assistant City Manager Tony Robyn is working with Sharity and coordinating meetings with the homeless coalition organizations and agencies, business owners, and other community groups to ensure that broad input is included in the survey as well as the study.
“The survey is designed to receive information from the distinct perspective of the individual,” explained Robyn. “Questions will ask about the type of experience the person has with homelessness, whether they are a service provider, a volunteer, a donor, a community member or another role, and depending on how they respond they will get questions pertaining to these positions. It’s a short survey and takes about five minutes, yet it gathers essential data about the many ways we interact with this population and will help identify areas that we may need to address.”
In addition to this work, Sharity representatives will meet with stakeholders, host public forums, and may develop additional surveys to learn more about the different processes in which they engage with the homeless as well as the collaboration among their coalition.
“By gathering this information from organizations and the public, we will have a better understanding of what the priorities and issues are to address, and we can identify other areas to improve upon through a planning process,” said Robyn. “The outcome for all of us should be an actionable, collaborative plan with organizational accountability so we can continue to serve the needs of the community. While we cannot solve the complex issues of homelessness, we can certainly work more cohesively on common and shared goals.”
Robyn encourages citizens to take the survey and to share it with others. “The more people who take this survey, the stronger our community’s plan will be.”
To take the survey....
If you build it they will come ! We have Watered Gardens Salvation Army Souls Harbor Lafayette House Cross-lines etc etc. You don't see beggars on the street corners in Carl Junction Neosho Galena Duneweg Carthage. We lived in the Blendville area for close to 30 years. When Lafayette house opened to help battered women it considered a blesssing. The problem is you bring people in need from St. Louis and the next thing you know they have followers hanging out and meeting at the convenience store where they can use the pay phone . The neighborhood went down hill rapidly. Lafayette House itself was an improvement over what Joplin R-8 maintained but of course you had an influx of funds that weren't tapped by the school district. Drive down 5th or 6th and Kentucky and you'll see people laying in the grass on the parking lots and driveways. I'd hate to invest in a business in that neighborhood like the Candy House. You almost hate to get out of your car to buy candy or shop for windows at the window store. Read the police reports and see how many people arrested list their address as 531 Kentucky. To top it off you have the Watered Gardens leader oon TV saying don't give to street beggars but give us the money so we can have direction over it . He also is hawking Firework sales to raise funds.It's my understanding that he lives in Branson. He's the director and his wife is 2nd in command. While their reported joint income is not all that high it doesn't have a good appearance .
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