Riley Eubanks
The State Journal-Register
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A majority of the relatively quick city council meeting was spent discussing Springfield’s homeless population, many of whom are still living in tents despite beds reportedly being available at homeless shelters in the city.
Though Langfelder said he assumes responsibility for helping to craft long-term solutions, he was adamant that outreach organizations need to step up in the short term to ensure the safety of the community and its individuals experiencing homelessness.
It’s unclear whether or not Springfield can legally relocate those who are camped on city property if it doesn’t have an alternative site. The Salvation Army’s former Adult Rehabilitation Center on 11th Street, owned by the city, is closed, and despite requests for the center to be converted to a low-barrier shelter, Langfelder couldn’t say when that may happen.
He did say that community development block grants may be used to provide shelter in the short term, but long-term retrofitting and conversions at the Salvation Army site may be funded with COVID-19 relief dollars provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.
“What we have are the abundance of funds right now. How can we move that where you’re able to leverage that for the supportive services as well as the low-barrier shelters? What’s needed now?” the mayor asked rhetorically after the meeting.
Other council members engaged in the discussion, with many agreeing it’s a never-ending circle of the city being unable to help those who don’t want to be helped or being ill-equipped to help those experiencing both homelessness and mental illness, among other barriers and shortcomings.
“Homelessness is something that has to be managed,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. “It can never be completely eliminated, but it must be managed.”
Both Langfelder and Springfield Police Department assistant chief Ken Scarlette explained mass arrests aren’t always a viable option, especially considering health concerns in jails during the ongoing pandemic.
Ward 3 Ald. Roy Williams said the city should ensure it isn’t doing anything to make the situation worse, especially considering homeless individuals who also have mental illness. “What do you do with a person … whose mental illness prevents them from taking advantage of a bed and a shower,” Williams said.
A portion of community development block grants from the 2019 action plan was recently dedicated to establishing a mental health-minded outreach specialist for the city’s homeless population.
Other items approved at Tuesday’s meeting:
- A $1.47 million contract with Springfield-based P.H. Broughton & Sons Inc. to overlay Chatham Road from the north side of Leland Grove’s city limits near Old Jacksonville Road to Jefferson Street (Illinois 97), totaling about 1.5 miles.
- A contract capped at $14 million with Graybar Electric Supply (Springfield), Feltcher-Reinhardt Co. (Bridgeton, Missouri) and Anixter Power Solutions LLC (Mattoon, Illinois) for transformer purchases and maintenance over a five-year period
- A property insurance policy capped at $3.6 million with Springfield’s Troxell Insurance Agency.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 