Springfield Post

By Ronald Hamm

Continuum of Care and several of their member organizations spent an hour and a half breaking down what they do for the community, how they do those things, and why they do those things.

In response to numerous citizens and several members of the city council claiming that Continuum of Care had failed the city, the member organizations came together and presented facts, charts, and numbers detailing their side of the story. Their message was clear; while there are several specific areas they could improve, Continuum of Care is a model for care not only in the state of Illinois, but across the country. 

Even the City Council was left in what was effectively a stunned silence. “I’ve learned more in the past hour — well, two hours now, than I have in any other presentation to come forward.” said Ward 10 alderman Ralph Hanauer.

Especially noteworthy were what seemed to be several responses to criticisms within the presentation. One criticism, repeated by council members, was that members of Continuum of Care were not communicating with one another. Within the presentation was not only an explanation of the methods the organization uses to communicate and track the people they serve, but personal stories of individual people being helped by several organizations at once in different ways. 

Another criticism was the lack of reporting generally, and to the city council specifically. Within the presentation by Tracy Cunningham, administrator for Continuum of Care, was an explanation of their reporting process, how to access that data, and that they have had a 100% approval rate for 13 years. 

Regarding the claim that the number of unhoused people in Springfield has not decreased in 10 years, Jared Brontam explained that there were numerous reasons that people become unhoused, both temporarily and long-term. Jonna Cooley, executive director of The Phoenix Center also clarified that the consistency in the unhoused population is at least in part due to agencies from all over the state sending people to Springfield, due to their quality of care.

Also noteworthy were the admissions of failure on part of Continuum Care. There were admissions that street services — going out and finding people who need help — were inadequate. But it was also clarified by every agency that spoke that their workload was already overwhelming, and that street services were both uniquely time-consuming and dangerous. As Josh Sabo, executive director for Heartland Housed explained; “Nearly every part of this system is grossly underfunded.” 

Overall, the message could not be clearer. As stated by Josh Sabo, “Your investment is not being squandered.”

Immediately after the series of presentations by Continuum of Care was a presentation by a woman named Kayla Watson regarding the state of Sangamon Towers.

“The homeless have destroyed everything.” she said, detailing how unhoused people have effectively taken over Sangamon Towers. She described Sangamon Towers as a battleground, portraying it as being terrorized by criminals, addicts, and thugs. 

Watson portrayed the unhoused people — some of whom she acknowledged were being serviced by Continuum of Care — as dirty, violent, and functionally uncivilized; breaking down doors and windows and having sex in public.

“Washington Street Mission and St. John’s Breadline need to control their guests.” she said. “After all, they are only near Sangamon Towers because of the valuable resources they offer to the unhoused.” 

Several citizens also spoke out about the care of the unhoused and impoverished in Springfield. Tamiqua Seymour spoke out about her mistreatment and abandonment by members of Continuum of Care. Robert Fraiser spoke about how homelessness is not a problem in and of itself, but is a problem of poverty. Ken Pacha expressed anger and disgust that all the organizations involved with Continuum of Care had to come up and provide information that the City Council could have provided online.

It wasn’t just people displaced from their homes who came to speak. After a bit of confusion regarding whether they had signed up, several victims of the Adams Street Fire in June came to speak. Chris Nichol explained the situation as of this moment. Elizabeth Wake, owner of The Wakery, detailed how her business has lost 67% of its income since the fire, due to insurance not covering her damages adequately and traffic being diverted from her business. 

The City Council passed an amendment to plant 300 new trees in the city of Springfield, with a special focus on flowering trees. Anyone interested in having such a tree in their yard should contact the city to see if they qualify to have a tree planted in their yard. 

You can watch the city council meeting here, if you have four hours to spare — Springfield, Illinois City Council Chambers Broadcast