A packed house of Sioux Falls residents gathered to hear city and regional officials emphasize the need to work together and share data at the first regional gathering of service providers and organizations to address homelessness.
In the stage spotlight Thursday night for the Regional Homelessness Forum at the Orpheum Theater were Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken, Minnehaha County Commissioner Dean Karsky, Sioux Falls Housing and Redevelopment Commission Executive Director Larissa Deedrich and South Dakota Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff, with moderator Lori Walsh, host and senior producer of South Dakota Public Broadcasting daily news radio program “In the Moment.”
The forum allowed leaders to have a candid conversation on what TenHaken has referred to as the No. 1 discussed topic among community members. The four leaders addressed homelessness and its complex root causes, as well as housing and mental health initiatives and the pressing need for actionable data to help better address needs…