On Friday, October 19, approximately 30 local shelter agencies and government officials participated in the Homeless Visioning Workshop sponsored by the Champaign County Continuum of Care (CoC). Planning Director Bruce Knight facilitated the discussion and Neighborhood Programs Manager Kerri Spear organized the event with the CoC Executive Committee. Neighborhood Services Director Kevin Jackson participated in the visioning discussion and small group exercises. The group agreed on some key points: homelessness may not be able to be eliminated but lowering the overall frequency and possibly eliminating family homelessness can be a long-term goal for our community. All the comments and vision statements created by the various groups will be pulled together in the next few weeks and then presented to the CoC for consideration in the CoC strategic planning process. During the next year, the CoC will discuss how individual agencies are able to focus their agency’s work in achieving the shared vision for the future of homeless in Champaign County.
