City of Columbia, MO
07/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/01/2026 12:19
Steering Committee to create strategic plan focused on homelessness
1005 W. Worley St.
Columbia, MO 65203
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2026
CONTACT: Conrad Hake
Steering Committee Co-Chair
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Betsy Peters
Steering Committee Co-Chair
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Dr. Natasha Harris
Steering Committee Vice Chair
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Sara Humm
Public Health Planner
Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services
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Steering Committee to create strategic plan focused on homelessness
(COLUMBIA, MO) - A Steering Committee has been formed to create a Strategic Plan focused on actionable steps to address homelessness in Columbia.
When creating the action steps, the Committee will consider primary and secondary data, community needs and feasibility.
The Committee will collect input from a variety of stakeholders, including individuals with lived experience, organizations that have direct connections with individuals experiencing homelessness, business owners, higher education institutions and more.
The general public will have an opportunity to be involved in the process through focus groups and a community survey. More information about those opportunities will be shared in the coming months.
The Steering Committee will meet regularly with the goal of presenting its findings and action steps to the Columbia City Council by the end of this calendar year.
The Steering Committee is comprised of the following individuals:
Alan Fish - MU Police Department
Betsy Peters - Columbia City Council
Brian Schaeffer - Columbia Fire Department
Conrad Hake - Love Columbia
Dr. Emily Fondahn - MU Health Care
Janet Thompson - Boone County Commission
Jessica McNear - VAC Opportunity Campus
Jill Schlude - Columbia Police Department
Dr. Kendall Lewis - Columbia Public Schools
Lily White Boyd - Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Mel Constantine Miseo - Flourish Initiative and The Center Project
Megan Steen - Centerstone
Melissa Clarke - Missouri United Methodist Church
Dr. Natasha Harris - Entrepreneur and Community Leader
Rebecca Roesslet - City of Columbia, Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services
Shelly Mayer - The Crossing and ForColumbia
The Steering Committee will be assisted in the process by City of Columbia staff members and facilitators from contractor BerryDunn.
When creating the action steps, the Committee will consider primary and secondary data, community needs and feasibility.
The Committee will collect input from a variety of stakeholders, including individuals with lived experience, organizations that have direct connections with individuals experiencing homelessness, business owners, higher education institutions and more.
The general public will have an opportunity to be involved in the process through focus groups and a community survey. More information about those opportunities will be shared in the coming months.
The Steering Committee will meet regularly with the goal of presenting its findings and action steps to the Columbia City Council by the end of this calendar year.
The Steering Committee is comprised of the following individuals:
Alan Fish - MU Police Department
Betsy Peters - Columbia City Council
Brian Schaeffer - Columbia Fire Department
Conrad Hake - Love Columbia
Dr. Emily Fondahn - MU Health Care
Janet Thompson - Boone County Commission
Jessica McNear - VAC Opportunity Campus
Jill Schlude - Columbia Police Department
Dr. Kendall Lewis - Columbia Public Schools
Lily White Boyd - Columbia Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Mel Constantine Miseo - Flourish Initiative and The Center Project
Megan Steen - Centerstone
Melissa Clarke - Missouri United Methodist Church
Dr. Natasha Harris - Entrepreneur and Community Leader
Rebecca Roesslet - City of Columbia, Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services
Shelly Mayer - The Crossing and ForColumbia
The Steering Committee will be assisted in the process by City of Columbia staff members and facilitators from contractor BerryDunn.
Location: 1005 W. Worley St.
City of Columbia Vision
Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.
City of Columbia Mission
To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.
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City of Columbia, MO published this content on July 01, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 01, 2026 at 18:19 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]