Saint Mary's County shifts to housing first approach to combat homelessness and support veterans

This article was created by AI using a video recording of the meeting. It summarizes the key points discussed, but for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Link to Full Meeting

In a recent meeting of the St. Mary's County Commissioners, discussions centered on the allocation of grant funding and strategies for addressing homelessness in the community. The meeting highlighted the importance of integrating health services with aging and human services, as well as the effectiveness of current funding mechanisms.

One commissioner raised concerns about why certain health-related issues are not routed through the health department, suggesting that the current approach may not be the most effective. The commissioner emphasized the need for a more streamlined process that recognizes the positive impact of non-county agencies, such as Walden Sierra, which receives significant funding. The return on investment from these grants was noted, with the potential for $300,000 to generate up to $3 million in benefits for the community.

The meeting also included a review of revised notifications of grant awards from the Maryland Department of Aging, totaling $197,304. These funds support various senior programs, including the ombudsman program and senior nutrition services. The commissioners expressed optimism that this would be the final revision for the fiscal year, as they typically receive no more than two revisions.

A significant portion of the discussion focused on homelessness, with the introduction of the FY 2016 homeless services grant application. This application consolidates several funding requests aimed at emergency and transitional housing services, totaling $164,029. The county's shift from a shelter-based approach to a "housing first" model was highlighted as a key strategy in reducing homelessness, particularly among veterans. The county has seen a 41% reduction in homeless veterans over the past year, with efforts to further decrease this number.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to continue exploring effective solutions for homelessness and to integrate health services more effectively within the county's framework. The commissioners plan to revisit these topics in future discussions, particularly during an upcoming retreat aimed at evaluating the contributions of various community organizations.

Converted from 5/5/2015 Commissioners of St. Mary's County meeting on January 21, 2025
Link to Full Meeting