The city of Concord is looking to further coordinate its response to homelessness in the state capital with the help of a new program manager.

City Council members will vote Monday on whether to spend $84,000 to support a year-long position and collaborative meetings as proposed by the Committee on Concord’s Plan to End Homelessness. The money would be funded by the Community Improvement Reserve. 

Last year, the committee – comprised of city leaders, nonprofits and service providers, faith communities and members of the public – solidified a five-pronged approach to addressing homelessness. 

The plan focuses on obtaining a clearer picture of who is experiencing homelessness, reducing unsheltered homelessness, increasing the number of available housing units, eliminating homelessness among veterans and communicating progress on these fronts.

Current estimates identify 384 people experiencing homelessness in Concord, according to a report from City Councilor Jim Schlosser. Of this population, 70% of people have one or more disabilities. 

Service providers in the city have long worked to create a “by-name list” of people experiencing homelessness that documents individuals' needs, resources and backstories. This approach is recognized nationally as one of many tools to achieve a “functional zero” where homelessness is brief, if present at all. 

The program manager will help coordinate a response among providers and engage the larger community in understanding efforts like the by-name list.

While the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness hosts monthly meetings to bring together direct service providers, the system can still be confusing to navigate, according to Schlosser’s report. 

“Clarifying and simplifying complex processes while building expertise in trauma-informed case management will better serve both homeless persons and providers,” the report reads. 

The program manager position will be overseen through a partnership with Granite United Way, which would receive a $4,000 administrative fee from the city.

The committee will look to the Community Development Finance Authority for funding to support the position in its second and third year, according to the report. 

The committee also plans to document the success of this funding and their work by a few metrics, including the number of people housed, the number of housing units identified and matched and the number of homeless veterans remaining in the city. 

Michaela Towfighi can be reached at mtowfighi@cmonitor.com