Stephen Center is in its 41st year serving people experiencing homelessness in Omaha with a high-barrier emergency shelter, a residential addiction recovery program, and permanent supportive low-income housing with case management. CEO Chris Knauf explains why “shelter is not a bandage,” unpacks a recently defeated proposal to criminalize encampments, and shares how coordinated street outreach, collaboration with low-barrier partners, and new family shelter capacity are moving more people into stable housing.

Listen for

• What a high-barrier shelter is and why Stephen Center keeps campus safe and sober
• How case management and outreach drive an 82 percent positive exit rate from shelter
• The difference between affordable and low-income housing and why the latter is critical
• Why criminalizing encampments fails and how Omaha pivoted to a 6-month pilot focused on services
• The role of low-barrier partner Siena Francis House in the local ecosystem
• Stephen Center’s plan to double men’s and women’s beds and add 19 non-congregate family rooms
• A candid look at SNAP cuts, rising turn-aways (4,128 to date), and the need for system-level investment

About Charity Charge

Charity Charge is a financial technology company serving the nonprofit sector. From the Charity Charge Nonprofit Credit Card to bookkeeping, gift card disbursements, and state compliance, we help mission-driven organizations streamline operations and stay financially strong. Learn more at charitycharge.com.