Topeka Governing Body discusses homelessness at Tuesday's council

TOPEKA (KSNT) - If there's one thing for certain after Tuesday night's city council meeting, the governing body believes they need a set-in-stone plan to attack the homeless problem in our community rather than jumping from idea to idea on how to deal with it.

It was brought up in Tuesday night's meeting, statistically on average, it takes anywhere from three to five years for the city to become aware of a "new" encampment in the city. When these encampments are in non-camping areas, the individuals who live within the camps are given a 72-hour eviction notice.

As of July 7th, the property maintenance division has cleaned up 10 encampments. With the governing body all on the same page that a clear plan needs to be put in place, this brings confidence to the Topeka Police Department that the ball is rolling.

"Here tonight, obviously they said we have to come up with a plan together and go with it, which is true and I appreciate that and it does make me feel better that we're focusing on something," Major Jana Harden said. "I feel like the community has to be involved. The citizens where people are camping and the citizens are seeing that, or they're affected by it, they also need to come to the table and bring their ideas."

While the city is still looking to lock down a set-in-stone plan to confidently tackle the homeless crisis, they are finalizing a "Q and A" that will be on the city website to help the community be better informed on the issue. Next week, a consultant who is working on homeless solutions for the city will be meeting with the governing body.