In fight against homelessness, Linn County advocates focus on solutions

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CEDAR RAPIDS — Sometimes, the solutions to big problems start small.

That’s been one of the key takeaways from the first few meetings of the Lived Experience Advisory Council, or LEAC, a group of currently or formerly unhoused people working together to make recommendations on how best to address homelessness in Linn County.

The group began its twice-monthly meetings in March, and facilitator J’nae Peterman said one of the first things discussed were common barriers preventing unhoused individuals from accessing community services.

The list was varied, but Peterman said one early theme stuck out: Stuff, or more accurately, what to do with it.

Members pointed out that connecting with service