Sioux City makes progress toward launching Iowa’s first homeless court program

Sioux City makes progress toward launching Iowa’s first homeless court program

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Sioux City is in the planning phase of what organizers say will be Iowa’s first homeless court program, a collaborative initiative designed to help people experiencing homelessness resolve low-level legal issues while connecting them to housing, treatment and supportive services.

Organizers held a listening session Wednesday, Aug. 5, with local shelter providers and agencies, as well as national experts from the American Bar Association, which has supported similar programs since 2001.

What is a homeless court program?

A homeless court is an alternative court session, not a traditional courtroom proceeding. Participants work through a structured, five-step process to address the root causes of their homelessness. If a participant completes the program, court cases may be dismissed, and fines and fees that were unlikely to be collected may be removed, organizers said.

Jennifer Jackson of Heartland Counseling Services is leading the Siouxland Homeless Court initiative in partnership with national experts and local community organizations.

“I think this is acknowledging the hard work that individuals are going through,” Jackson said. “They’re going through these programs, and then this is where we can actually acknowledge all the hard work that they’re doing to better themselves and to better the community.”

How the five-step program works

The program follows a structured process:

- The participant selects a provider and starts services, building an action plan that addresses the root causes of their homelessness.

- The provider refers the participant after services are completed, submitting an advocacy letter and application materials.

- A defender evaluates the participant for eligibility, reviews materials, and submits the case to the court for docketing.

- A team reviews participant progress, with prosecutors and judges reviewing the application and the defender preparing orders.

- Legal relief is entered, and the participant is celebrated at a hearing held at a community facility, where the courtroom applauds as motions for relief are granted.

Organizers said it could be up to 80 days from entering the program before a participant reaches that final step.

What charges could be addressed?

The program is designed to address low-level offenses and legal barriers, which may include:

- Failure to appear warrants

- Trespassing citations

- Public intoxication offenses

- Camping violations

- Minor misdemeanor offenses

- Unpaid fines and court costs

Matt Wechter, a deputy public defender from San Diego who attended Wednesday’s session, described how minor legal issues can compound for people experiencing homelessness.

“Let’s say someone gets a ticket for having no fare for the bus or transit,” Wechter said. “That one $2.50 fare can turn into a $25 ticket. And then, when they don’t show up to court for that $25 ticket, the failure-to-appear collection fee is added; that’s an additional $300 on top of that. So now a $2.50 ticket turns into a several-hundred-dollar issue. And then they end up not being able to renew their driver’s license. And it just ends up being this swirl that people just can’t get out of.”

Wechter said the program is designed to break that cycle.

“It’s not just clearing up a case,” he said. “It’s hearing how, by addressing that root cause of what brought them not only to homelessness, but to the criminal justice system in the first place, they’ve gotten back together with family.”

Although this program will not end homelessness, it can help people get back on their feet.

Funding and community collaboration

In April of last year, Sioux City was awarded $25,000 through the Iowa Finance Authority’s Emergency and Innovative Housing Fund to help spur the growth and development of the program. The Sioux City City Council has already approved the initiative and supported funding.

The initiative requires collaboration from the County Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, county leadership, the court system, the City Attorney’s Office, and behavioral health and shelter providers.

Community agencies involved include Heartland Counseling Services, Inc., the Warming Shelter, Siouxland Mental Health Center and the Gospel Mission, but that list could grow as they continue to set up the program.

National and state partners include the American Bar Association, the Public Defender’s Office out of San Diego, the State Economic Development Office and the Iowa Finance Authority.

Organizers said the program is designed to reduce repeat law enforcement contacts, increase accountability and service engagement, reduce ER and jail utilization, improve public safety outcomes and support long-term housing and recovery stability. Organizers said they still have work to do before the program officially launches.

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