A nonprofit that is praised for its work in helping residents facing homelessness says one in five Columbia residents live in poverty and that many others struggle to make ends meet.
Love Columbia executive director Jane Williams tells 939 the Eagle’s Fred Parry that their three big buckets are financial, housing and career coaching:
“And then some of the things that kind of intertwine with that end up being transportation coaching. We have a furniture bank and resale store, because when you’re helping people transition to housing, they need furniture,” Williams says.
Ms. Williams tells listeners that increasing insurance costs and property taxes have also impacted family budgets. Her organization also says there is not enough affordable rental housing in Columbia and that wage increases have not kept pace with the cost of rent. Love Columbia co-founder Williams joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” show:
“But one thing that was also interesting is 33 percent of the people who work in Boone County don’t live here. And some of that is related to they can’t afford housing here. So I think that’s been a big factor as well. So we just need to, you know, build baby build,” says Williams.
More than 100 elected officials, community leaders, business leaders and citizens joined Love Columbia for last fall’s groundbreaking ceremony for new transitional housing on East Ash, near College Avenue. Boone County awarded the project $1-million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, while the city of Columbia awarded $600,000 in ARPA money to Love Columbia for transitional housing.
You can hear Fred’s full interview with Love Columbia’s Jane Williams here.
