(KIWA Staff Photo)Sioux City, Iowa (RI) — Sioux City residents are being encouraged to report homeless encampments through a new online reporting portal.
City officials say that as encampments are removed, a Homeless Assistance Response Team will try to connect people with the resources they need.
Monique Scarlett, president of local advocacy group Unity in the Community, says she worries the system could lead to harassment or bullying of people experiencing homelessness.
The head of Sioux City’s Warming Shelter says having a direct way to report concerns allows service providers to help without tying up emergency services that are already stretched thin.
Scarlett says her organization works to build trust between residents and law enforcement, and she believes Sioux City’s homeless population is growing.
Scarlett says she believes the reporting tool was launched with good intentions, but she worries about misuse and unnecessary confrontations.
In June, Sioux City Council Member Rick Bertrand reportedly called the community’s homeless shelter a “public nuisance,” prompting a demonstration outside City Hall in support of the shelter.
