Omaha has no city run homeless shelter. Omaha does have a few privately run homeless shelters in the city but they are constantly overcrowded. Many homeless people can be seen sleeping in parked cars outside the homeless shelter because they are so full. There are about 2000 people homeless every night according to the Open Mission. Many homeless shelters are NOT inclusive to all homeless people, nor do they provide enough services for all the homeless people’s needs to get them out of homelessness and poverty. Many homeless people sleep outside along the Keystone Trail, Heartland of America Park and various other places where they can sleep undisturbed and unnoticed without being picked up police.

Local nonprofits play a big part in Omaha’s homelessness pipeline and absorb millions of dollars without the City seeing an actual end to homelessness, hunger or poverty, nor is the performance of these nonprofits checked for efficiency.  This should be a requirement when its taxpayer money and taxpayer lives on the line. The Omaha City Hall has no problem removing people from busy intersections, but has a very difficult time giving people a decent place to stay.

Omaha can make up for these oversights by building a multi-purpose facility for an inclusive, city-owned and operated homeless shelter with space for a health center, education and job training center, soup kitchen, housing office and even a city employment office built into it. The City of Omaha must operate an inclusive homeless shelter that also protects against discrimination based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.

INFO
https://www.opendoormission.org/about-us/fast-facts/

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