Homeless residents need transitional housing to keep them off the streets while they wait to get into a permanent home, Mayor Joan Peck said Thursday night.
Peck asked the Boulder County Commissioners to help with the issue at a joint meeting between the city council and the commissioners at the Longmont Public Library.
She said the county’s Coordinated Entry System — which finds homes for suitable homeless applicants —might be used for transitional housing to allow the formerly unhoused to get the services they need.
“We could get services coming to them,” Peck said. “Instead of them, wandering around town with their packs of belongings trying to find the services they need.”
Commissioner Matt Jones said he supports the work of Homeless Solutions for Boulder County, which uses different governmental entities to find homes for the homeless. However, funding is limited for such services, he said.
“The problem is that we don’t have a ton of money,” for homeless relief, Jones said.
Still, the county will explore ways to provide more transitional housing for residents, Jones said.
“I would ask our staff to have a conversation about your idea and see what would fit,” he said.
