Last night, I attended the Community Forum: Homelessness in Dakota County at Shepherd of the Valley Church in Apple Valley. There were well over two hundred people in attendance. Ann Ryberg, Communities of Faith Volunteer Organizer, went over the temporary shelter effort that took place this past winter. The Dakota County Housing Manager went over the activities to again have a temporary shelter this winter, November 1 is the target opening date. The County put out a bid for a service provider and Matrix Housing Services was chosen. This is intended to be an overnight shelter with extended hours during times of extreme cold.
Representative from Matrix Housing went over expectations and needs. For suggestions or information, they can be contacted at shelter@matrixhousingservices. org
The Shelter Leadership Work Group is working on options for a permanent shelter that should be presented to the Dakota Board of Commissioners by October. This has been a need for some time.