CEDAR RAPIDS — Former Waypoint leader J’nae Peterman started this summer as the community’s new homeless systems manager, a three-year position jointly funded by Cedar Rapids and Linn County where she will streamline local resources to support the growing unhoused population.
Previously Waypoint’s housing services director, Peterman will use years of housing services experience to coordinate resources and improve systems for Linn County residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Her first day was June 25, but the announcement of her hire was made Thursday.
The city of Cedar Rapids and Linn County will each contribute $75,000 per year for up to three years for a total of $225,000 per agency. That covers salary, benefits and other expenses. Cedar Rapids’ share comes from the city’s general fund, supported by property tax dollars, while the county used federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
The manager position was created based on one of the recommendations from the Washington, D.C.-based National Alliance to End Homelessness, which the city enlisted last summer to assess local homeless systems.
The position is housed at the East Central Iowa Council of Governments in the Housing Trust Fund for Linn County division. Peterman may report on activities to both the Linn County Board of Supervisors and the Cedar Rapids City Council.
“This collaboration is a great example of the city and the county working together to try to address an issue that’s becoming increasingly more visible and challenging for individuals,” Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers said in a statement. “It shows the seriousness with which both Linn County and the city of Cedar Rapids are approaching homelessness and is an example of how government works best when it works together.”
Local officials in recent years have identified homelessness as a top priority as Linn County has seen the number of unhoused people hit record highs in the most recent “Point in Time” homeless counts. These counts are conducted by volunteers from Willis Dady Homeless Services and Waypoint in Cedar Rapids.
Since July 2017, the number of people sleeping in places not meant for habitation has quadrupled in Linn County. In January, a count found 143 unhoused people.
What does the manager do?
Peterman is not a case manager and will not directly provide social services. Rather, she will look to improve the overall network of supports for the unhoused population.
This position will help expand the “housing first” approach. It’s a method that seeks to end homelessness by providing people with stable housing and supportive services to address mental health and substance use issues, for instance, instead of placing people in shelters. Shelters remain a stopgap measure, but not a permanent solution.
In this role, Peterman will monitor state and federal grant opportunities and make funding recommendations, find any gaps and streamline how an individual experiencing homelessness is identified and referred to social services.
At Waypoint, where Peterman worked as director since 2015, she oversaw the local Coordinated Entry System, which local housing providers use to support those experiencing homelessness. This communitywide list is what providers use to fill their program vacancy, giving unhoused people or those at risk of homelessness service referrals based on an assessment of their needs.
Waypoint reported 13,790 people were served through that system in fiscal 2023, the budget year that ended June 30, 2023. Peterman will continue to improve that system and ensure social services are administered consistently across agencies, focusing on the outcomes of the services people receive.
“I recognized the importance of system-level work and making sure that as a system, all providers are working together in tandem,” Peterman said. “That’s really how we move the needle forward. It's not just one provider doing really great services. It's making sure they’re all really focusing on what they do well and working together and complementing each other.”
She hopes to gain a better understanding of what causes individuals to experience homelessness. Waypoint and Willis Dady each employ one person to conduct street outreach. Peterman would like to strengthen training for street outreach staff and make efforts more robust.
Board will oversee homelessness efforts
Peterman will report to a local oversight board, collaborating to “create systems that make significant progress toward the goal of ending homelessness in our community,” Cedar Rapids Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt said.
The oversight board’s creation also was recommended by the alliance. Pratt said the board is expected to be formed by January.
The board will be made up of representatives from local hospitals, a funding organization, local governments, people with lived experience with homelessness and the immigrant and refugee community. Pratt said the alliance recommended leaving out elected officials and nonprofits that would compete for funding.
“Addressing homelessness is a top priority for the City Council,” Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a statement. “We recognize the importance of supporting our friends and neighbors in need. This complex issue requires a multifaceted approach, and filling this position marks the beginning of significantly improving service coordination and delivery.”
At the Cedar Rapids City Council’s meeting Tuesday, member Dale Todd said police resources and other city staff are devoted to homelessness every day and wondered if the city could accelerate the formation of this board.
“I don’t think it should wait until January,” Todd said.
Pratt said it’s important to review the structure of this group and the data it will be provided so the panel can provide “objective” oversight of local homeless systems. The group can’t be operational until it’s equipped with the right information, she said.
Expanding housing access
The alliance also recommended increasing diversion — supporting someone at risk of homelessness before he or she becomes unhoused. Instead of directing everyone to a shelter, Pratt said, the focus is on identifying the fastest way to get someone housed.
The city again enlisted the alliance for a diversion training Aug. 14 and 15 with municipal leadership and elected officials, nonprofit executive directors, Cedar Rapids police leaders and front-line social service agency staff.
Cedar Rapids and Linn County also jointly fund the winter overflow shelter each year during cold weather months. The shelter is in a building owned by Linn County and operated by Willis Dady.
By the time Peterman’s three years are complete in the role, she said she hopes local partners make progress on expanding nonprofit-operated permanent supportive housing, partnerships with landlords to improve access to the rental market and moving the unsheltered homeless population into housing.
“It’s going to go fast,” Peterman said. “My hope is that we begin to see our unsheltered numbers decrease and that we are in a position where we are moving the needle forward to opening up additional housing opportunities.”
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com
