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25 <br /> <br />Public Input <br /> <br />Public input was garnered through open-ended questions on the community survey and at two public <br />forums in Ellensburg and Cle Elum. Thousands of comments were received through the survey, and <br />pages of discussion were recorded during the public forums. These are most common themes that <br />came up in reviewing both the comments and the discussions <br /> <br />Increasing community engagement and collaboration with various sectors <br />In general, people wanted to encourage others in the community to get involved in the issues of <br />homelessness and affordable housing. They also wanted to see strong partnerships across different <br />sectors to really effectively address the issues. There was recognition that no single entity or sector can <br />solve the problem alone. <br /> <br />Reducing barriers to housing <br />Lots of concern was expressed about the amount of barriers experienced in trying to get access to <br />housing. Barriers cited included low-income, single income households, income verification <br />requirements, credit history, minor criminal history, difficult and cumbersome processes, and large <br />families. These are felt to be issues that can contribute to homelessness when it is difficult for someone <br />to access housing. <br /> <br />Increasing home ownership <br />Not only do people want safe, affordable roofs over their heads, many people desire to move towards <br />homeownership. But similar barriers exist as with renting, and there is a lack of resources and programs <br />that help people work towards owning their own home. <br /> <br />Increasing job opportunities and skills, and moving people toward self sufficiency <br />Many people expressed concern that homelessness and housing services are enabling and not <br />encouraging self-sufficiency. There needs to be a focus on increasing employment opportunities, <br />getting people out of homelessness, and no longer at risk of homelessness or in need of low-income <br />housing and services. These efforts need to be coupled with homelessness and housing services. <br /> <br />Increasing public awareness <br />There were many questions expressed in both the survey and the public forums about the nature of the <br />homelessness and affordable housing issues in the county. How big of problems are they? How many <br />people are affected? There is a general lack of awareness about how these issues affect Kittitas County.