(City of Bismarck photo)
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – Gov. Kelly Armstrong issued an executive order establishing the North Dakota Interagency Council on Homelessness to coordinate relationships among state agencies and homelessness service providers. The goal is to develop strategies and best practices for preventing and ending homelessness in the state.
“While North Dakota already has a strong network of support services and programs for those experiencing homelessness, we still have individuals falling through the cracks,” Armstrong said. “The Interagency Council on Homelessness will provide a forum for state agencies and service providers to gather information and community input, identify areas for improvement, and recommend strategies to wipe out homelessness and prevent its underlying causes.”
North Dakota Housing Finance Agency Executive Director Brandon Dettlaff will chair the 12-person council, and Commissioner of Recovery & Reentry Jonathan Holth will serve as vice-chair. The other members include four Cabinet leaders and six members appointed by the governor.
“I believe there’s about 19 statewide interagency councils on homelessness across the United States and they’re widely considered to be a really good tool for aligning statewide government agencies, non-profit organizations and a variety of different sectors around how we prevent and end homelessness across the state,” explains Chandler Esslinger, who is a council member and Executive Director of the FM Coalition to End Homelessness.
The panel will report annually on its progress, including recommendations for executive and legislative action.
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