Council approves short-term extension of Silver Lake site as day center for homeless

Rochester’s day center for individuals experiencing homelessness will remain open through at least August 31, after the Rochester City Council approved a plan Monday evening to fund its operation inside the former Silver Lake fire station for an additional three-and-a-half months. 

Council members approved the plan in a 6-1 vote, after including a stipulation asking city staff to prepare a memo to the council detailing how activities inside the Silver Lake station — currently operated by The Landing — would slow down by roughly August 1. Initially, the council struck down a motion to deny funding in a 5-2 vote — Palmer and Bransford in the minority.

Council members who approved the plan said another extension of the temporary site would be unlikely, although a larger conversation looms on whether or not a city-supported day center would fall into the city’s strategic priorities.  

“I support a wind-down related specifically to Silver Lake station,” said Council President Brooke Carlson. “I do not support anything that says we will not be investing, at any level, in The Landing providing a day center moving forward.”

Council Member Shaun Palmer, who was the lone council member to vote against the October proposal to move the day center to the Silver Lake site, said The Landing was doing “great work,” but remained adamant in his belief that the city should not operate a day center at all.

“I do not see this as an issue for the City of Rochester,” said Palmer. “I don’t see us taking on a day center when the Salvation Army, a great organization that does great work, is already operating one.”

Keeping the center open for three-and-a-half months will cost the city roughly $158,000, which will come from remaining CARES Act funding. In that time, the city hopes to receive funding from another proposed round of federal stimulus, while the state legislature debates the possibility of giving long-term funding to a day center project in Rochester.

Jaymi Wilson, project manager for the city, said the extra funds would “buy a little more time” for the center to check out other funding avenues and weigh possible long-term solutions, as the city continues to vaccinate people experiencing homelessness.

“By getting us that much further down the road, we just hope that we’ll be in a safer spot for everyone,” said Wilson. “We’re looking at this as a temporary extension, and that would get us feeling more secure than ending in May, that we’d be in a good place to move people forward.” 

The day center was first created inside the Mayo Civic Center in March 2020 and moved to its current location at the former fire station in November. In conjunction with efforts from the Rochester Community Warming Center, which provides overnight arrangements, the city says it has seen a “significant decrease” in calls to the police department over people experiencing homelessness.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.