With the resolution, the council authorized the city to again enter into a short-term lease with Community Care Alliance, which has since secured $253,896 in grant funding to operate the bus, according to Margaux Morisseau, the city’s human services director.

Councilor Valerie Gonzalez said the bus, which will be parked at Holy Family Church at 414 South Main St., could reopen as soon as Jan. 6.

“They’ve already done the hiring,” Gonzalez said. “The contracts are pretty much done with the state.”

Bus staff consists of two individuals who monitor the occupants each night, said Michelle Taylor, vice president of social health services for the Community Care Alliance. The nonprofit hires four people to work different shifts throughout the week for those positions, and also pays for personnel to clean the bus each morning, Taylor said.

Each guest is screened by staff before they come aboard, she said.

“We really need to make sure that there are people on the bus are who are going to be able to be in that congregate setting in such close quarters,” Taylor said. “So we are looking at individuals who are able to manage themselves, go in, be quiet, and settle down pretty quickly. If we discover that someone is not in that frame of mind, usually they’ll be screened out before they enter the bus.”

The latest funding covers only nine months of operations for the bus, according to Morisseau, who said efforts are underway to secure additional funding.

“It hopefully would operate year round,” Taylor told councilors.

“The people that we’re seeing are very medically fragile,” Taylor added. “We’re having people who are dealing with cancer, who have had hip replacements, who are dealing with really advanced, you know, uncontrolled diabetes, like all kinds of things. And so you know, the reality is, whether it’s January or August, these are not folks who really should be outside.”

Several councilors said the city must also develop long-term options to address homelessness, as the Dignity Bus, although needed, is only a temporary solution.

Councilors voted Monday to pass a resolution establishing a city committee to study homelessness on the local level and provide recommendations.

The number of people experiencing homelessness across the state has risen significantly in recent years, having more than doubled since 2020 to up to more than 2,400 as of January 2024, as recorded during the state’s Point in Time count.

“We obviously need to work on the temporary issue of getting [people] out of tents and into warming centers or overnight shelters immediately,” said council Vice President Denise D. Sierra. “But we also need to focus on what is going to lift people out of homelessness on a more permanent basis.”

Councilor James C. Cournoyer said he is optimistic the committee will put forth some options for the city to consider in short order, but noted officials must balance support for the homeless with the concerns of other residents.

Councilors regularly receive emails and phone calls about homeless encampments in the city, and while some of the sites do not pose issues to the public, when “they’re littered with needles and other stuff, it’s a problem,” Cournoyer said.

“We absolutely want to help those that are in need, but we also have residents that are pulling their hair out at some of the issues that they’re dealing with as a result of it,” he said.

According to the resolution, the committee will be made up of three councilors: Sierra, Gonzalez, and Michael N. Dubois.

“We do know that there’s something that needs to be done,” Dubois said on Monday. “When I’m looking at this, I’m looking at sons and daughters of some people here in the city that are living in these encampments. And a lot of people are saying, well, let’s shut them all down, pass legislation. We may get to that point — at some point. But right now, we have to create a safety net. We have to have a short-term goal and a long-term goal.”

Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.