The June 1 Chaska Rotary presentation was from Dave Pokorney, Corey Magstadt and Bob Roepke. They spoke about a proposal to create a 28-bed residence in Chaska for people experiencing short-term homelessness. The residence would be affiliated with Love INC, a local non-profit that works with homeless people to placing them in housing and help find employment. An non-profit organization would assume management of the facility after construction.
Pokorney shared information about homelessness. The most frequent cause is that someone cannot afford to pay mortgage or rent. A survey by the Wilder Foundation for a one-night count of homeless people found in 2015, 9,312 people were homeless including 3,296 children with their parents. The actual number of homeless people in the Twin Cities area is estimated closer to 15,000.
The proposal is still in the preliminary phase. Pokorney and Roepke will present the plan to the Chaska City Council on Monday. A letter of support from the council is needed in order proceed with the funding plan.
