City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County to jointly fund Homelessness Systems Manager Position

The City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County are committed to finding solutions to end homelessness in our community. As part of this commitment, the City engaged the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) over the summer. NAEH assessed and reviewed available community systems and resources in Linn County.

NAEH then provided recommendations, including the creation of a local Oversight Board to review local data and make funding recommendations based on community needs. As part of this process, a Homelessness Systems Manager position will be created to support the Board with the collection of data, research of best practices, and community engagement.

Most recently, the City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County announced three years of funding for the position shared by the organizations.

“This position will play a key role in turning our commitment to end homelessness into actionable results,” said Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell. “They will focus their work on studying our current systems, working with our community partners to build effective solutions that will make a lasting impact in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.”

The position is intended not as a service provider, but as a resource to assist the Oversight Board in its work to collect and review data and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing resources across the community.

The NAEH recommendations inspire long-term, collaborative work with trusted partners to improve and build out systems to support community members experiencing homelessness. While this work continues, the City and Linn County are committed to continue to provide essential supportive services, including the winter overflow shelter, which opened this week.