GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The City of Grand Junction released a draft of their unhoused needs assessment results Monday. But officials say that’s not the last step in supporting the unhoused.

The city held a feedback session on its unhoused needs assessment Wednesday, inviting members of the unhoused community to participate. Research Manager at JG Research and Evaluation Erika Berglund tells WesternSlopeNow the session was for those with lived experience to share their ideas and suggestions for strategies to help support the unhoused.

Participants were asked to choose their top four priorities out of eight choices. The top three choices were transitional shelter, permanent housing, and emergency shelter.

“Kind of across the board, we’re seeing transitional housing come up, permanent housing come up. That’s been pretty consistent.”

Berglund says they’ll be back in January to present the draft — and community feedback — to city council and county commissioners.

“The ultimate goal is that, hopefully, city council adopts these unhoused strategies based on all that feedback.”

One thing’s for sure, Berglund says.

“Regardless of what strategies the community picks, they should be centered on lived experience.”

The city’s reallocated budget funds to build a temporary facility for the unhoused — but a longer-term solution will rely on the results of the needs assessment — and feedback from the community.