Boone County News Release

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Boone County, City of Columbia to host housing summit in October

COLUMBIA, Mo. (August 16, 2024) – Boone County and the City of Columbia are partnering to host a housing summit from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24 at Memorial Baptist Church, 1634 Paris Road. 

The summit is intended to bring the community together to learn about local housing-related plans and determine next steps to address affordable housing. The results of an ongoing Boone County Housing Study being completed in partnership between the County and City will also be discussed.

"The support across the board from all sectors in this community to address our County's and City's housing needs is immense. We are lucky to have that," said Rebecca Thompson, director of the City's Housing and Neighborhood Services department. "The housing summit will provide an opportunity for all of those sectors to come together and begin to develop a comprehensive housing strategy that reflects us all."

The summit will include representatives from a variety of housing-related sectors, including social services agencies, local government, property owners and managers, bankers, developers and builders, realtors and more.

A tentative schedule for the morning will include a presentation on the Boone County Housing Study, a housing development panel and a social services panel. A session in the afternoon will focus on action planning and prioritizing the next steps in addressing affordable housing. Lunch will be provided between the morning and afternoon sessions. 

For those unable to attend the full-day summit, there will be a recap session from 6-7:30 p.m. This will include a presentation on the housing study and a summary of the summit. Attendees will have an opportunity to provide additional feedback at this session, and light refreshments will be provided.

To register for the full day summit, visit tinyurl.com/4xezhpww. No registration is required for the evening recap session.

About Boone County Community Services Department
The mission of Boone County Community Services Department is to support the greatest possible level of independence and self-sufficiency of Boone County residents by promoting their physical, mental, and social well-being to cultivate a safe and healthy community.

For media interviews, please contact:

Joanne Nelson
573.886.4298
Director, Boone County Community Services Department
JNelson@boonecountymo.org

Rebecca Thompson
Housing and Neighborhood Services Director
City of Columbia
573.874.7535
Rebecca.Thompson@CoMo.gov

Kari Utterback
Human Services Manager
Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services
573.874.6264
Kari.Utterback@CoMo.gov

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