Homeless Coalition reports proactive measures on stubborn problem to council

CASPER, Wyo. — A task force of city employees formed two years to address issues associated with homelessness in Casper, and that group is confident in some of the approaches it’s developed, according to City of Casper Community Development Director Liz Becher.

Becher gave the Casper City Council an update on the Homeless Coalition’s work at a work session on Tuesday, Oct.22. Becher said that one in three Americans has a family member who is currently homeless.

City leaders came to realize many of Casper’s homeless population arrived because they were homeless in another community, and agencies or individuals there sent the person to Casper because of the robust nonprofit community and sheltering options like the Wyoming Rescue Mission, where about 45% of the guests are from outside Casper.

The Casper Police Department reported a 25% increase in incidents related to the homeless last summer, Becher said. Almost a year ago, Casper passed an ordinance strengthening the police department’s ability to enforce camping restrictions, which has led to more arrests, City Attorney Eric Nelson said.

Enforcement of this and other laws has also led to an burden on the municipal and circuit court system, with some defendants in jail up to four times per week, Nelson told Oil City News. Some of those defendants rack up tens of thousands of dollars in fines and court costs, which get converted to jail time when they can’t pay. City Manager Carter Napier told the council this has led to $900,000 budget overrun for the courts.

Now the local courts are finalizing agreements with the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, which will have a counselor at every court session and some familiarity with every defendant before their case gets adjudicated.

“The idea would be to get folks into treatment when that’s appropriate rather than incarcerating them on the dime of the city,” Nelson told the council

If a homeless person arriving on a bus with no resources or local connections amounts to a “cold handoff,” Becher said community leaders are pursuing the responsible alternative. She said the Natrona Health Trust Collective is offering match funding for agencies to a vehicle for the purpose of giving people a ride back to a community where they have support, what she called “the warm hand-off.”

Partnerships are also being developed with ride sharing services to help people who are getting out of the hospital outside the times when the city bus operates, she said.

Becher said Casper is also applying for a “continuum of care” grant through the federal housing authority which provides funding to the critical local service agencies that typically apply for one-cent funds from the city.

The Natrona Council for Social Justice also partnered with the NHTC to become one of six recipients nationwide for a grant to help people transitioning out of detention facilities secure housing, Becher said.

The Community Action Partnership holds a day-long “point-in-time” count of homeless populations every year. The outreach effort also connects people with everyday necessities, community resources, and case managers. The group will soon begin advertising for help in preparing for the next round in January, Becher said.

City Manager Carter Napier said he’s been following state legislative committee sessions tackling the issue of homelessness. One item being discussed is the idea of reimbursing municipalities for the impacts of “cold hand-offs,” but Napier is unsure how much traction it will gain. He said the committee will also meet Wednesday to discuss ideas about promoting affordable housing by mandating lot sizes and the cost of building permits, which he and other municipal leaders will be attempting to defeat.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” Councilor Kyle Gamroth said after the update, though he added a caveat: from 2022-2023, homelessness nationwide increased 12%, so people should expect the issue to remain visible. “Casper, Wyoming cannot solve the nation’s homelessness issues,” he said.