Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - ASSET Admin Meeting February 4, 2026Minutes ASSET Administrative Team February 4, 2026 @ 12:15 pm United Way of Story County @ 315 Clark Ave, Ames, IA 50010 In Attendance: Pa Goldbeck, Becky Harker, Nick Joos, Sandra King, Sarah Mansell, Jess Peebler, Amy Shaw and Ashley Thompson Virtual: Linda Hagedorn and Ron Smith The meeting was called to order at 12:17p.m. Approval of December 3, 2025 Minutes Motioned by Joos, seconded by Harker, to approve the December 3, 2025 ASSET Administrative Team meeting minutes. Motion passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report Smith reported the current balance is $2,177.22 Old Business Homelessness Action Plan Goldbeck reported there are no new updates, aside from the City of Ames hiring a temporary, part-time housing assistant. Board members inquired about how this role would work with or overlap with Josh Oren, Housing Stability Case Manager/Lia ison for Story County. Goldbeck responded that it wouldn’t overlap or conflict since this new role is more of a support assistant to the Assistant City Manager . Warming Place Positive feedback to be shared about the Warming Place and Supervisor Linda Murken’s work. King mentioned that Josh Oren was helping with the coordination and tracking of minutes used by clients at Warming Place. Exciting to have somewhere for people to stay during cold snaps. Thompson mentioned hearing positive feedback about the new offering during a housing leader meeting . ASSET FY2025/26 Calendar and Meeting Space No changes. New Business Funder Staff Update United Way of Story County—Ashley Thompson ASSET funding recommendations were approved by the UWSC Board of Directors on January 29 with two modifications. The Board opted not to fund The Bridge Home's (TBH) Rapid Re- Housing and Service Coordination services, citing missing audits and updated annual financial information. This decision was further supported by T BH’s Interim CEO, who directed the ASSET Board during their January 2026 agency hearing to withhold funding at this time, given the organization's ongoing stabilization efforts and the board's continued work to better understand TBH's programming. Additionally, the Board chose not to move forward with funding the Center for Creative Justice's Reentry Program, as it does not align with current ASSET priorities and lacks other funding sources beyond ASSET. Thompson shared that UWSC and the Story County Community Foundation (SCCF) will be hosting two half-day sessions on February 19 and 26, 2026 for individuals who have an interest in serving non-profits in Story County as part of a newly-developed Board Leadership Training (BLT). BLT participants will be given a listing of local nonprofit organizations with board member needs upon the completion of the program. Story County—Sandra King Final funding recommendations will be discussed this month, so far; the date is undecided. Conversations with Kathy Pinkerton of The Salvation Army (TSA) are in motion; a n estimated 36 clients are being sheltered in hotels currently. TSA ha s drawn down all emergency shelter funds from the C ounty already. Most clients in hotels have either maxed out their stay at TBH or have other ineligibility issues, so they are unable to use the shelter. TSA’s access to Story County’s Trust Fund dollars has helped with these costs. TBH shelter is not full . Story County is also having conversations with Iowa Primary Care Association’s Health Care Navigators; they are looking for space in Story County to help patients with addictive disorders, substance use disorder , mental health conditions by connecting them to resources. City of Ames—Pa Goldbeck The ASSET Board’s r ecommendations will be presented to City Council for approval on February 10, 2026. Due to rounding issues in Excel, there is a $2 discrepancy. This $2 difference will be deducted from the final amount allocated to MICA. Goldbeck emphasized the importance of looking into grant software products in the future to avoid the issues that have occurred with solely relying on Microsoft Excel. Goldbeck has looked into other software, one being “Zoom Grant” and can look into other options. King added that Story C ounty is also looking into other cost-effective options with more information to come. Thompson also brought up UWSC’s efforts to understand “EC Impact,” another potentia l software option. A demo recorded by UWSC can be shared if groups are interested. Thompson went on to explain how over 23,000 cells must be re-checked by ASSET staff within the ABF forms. There is a desire for software that can consolidate information to avoid human errors that occur when data is manually entered multiple times. Goldbeck mentioned that $15,000 from the City of Ames will be utilized for non-profit training. The City has reached out to some potential trainers. These training sessions will be open to any non-profit in Ames and Story County and more information will be available in March. ISU Student Government—Amy Shaw ASSET recommendations are being considered by student senate next week. February 12, 2026 ASSET Meeting Agenda Addition, SWOT Analysis by Donna Gilligan, approx. 1 hour. Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer for FY2026-27 TBD at a later date Clear Impact Scorecard (Mansell) Updates will be coming . Additional Items/Concerns Discussion of past action by ASSET Chair to send letters to agencies who were recommended for zero funding. Motion by Harker, seconded by Joos, for Chair Hagedorn to send a letter to NAMI Central Iowa to make them aware of the ASSET board’s recommendation for no funding in the upcoming FY. Motion passed unanimously. Story County Child Care Feasibility Study – Sarah Mansell Mansell reported that as of February 3, 2026 a total of 428 responses from Story County families and childcare centers had been received. Survey results will be incorporated into the broader study. Adjournment Motion by Hagedorn, seconded by Joos, to adjourn the meeting at 2:02 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.