A county‑sponsored planning effort to coordinate services for people who are unhoused or at imminent risk presented a status update at the DeKalb Board of Commissioners’ Oct. 7 meeting and set an accelerated schedule for a final plan.

Carol Cantore Dodson, lead facilitator for the DeKalb Behavioral Health Coalition effort, told commissioners the project is a nine‑month effort that is on schedule and that members are developing draft recommendations now with a final plan due to the board in January. "We are on a 9 month journey, which is really fast. But I wanna let you know that we are, in fact, on schedule," Cantore Dodson said.

Why it matters: The coalition’s work could influence county spending and service design for shelter, outreach and housing programs. Commissioners and staff said they want the planning process to align with county housing leadership and existing programs funded through HUD and local partners.

What the work groups proposed so far

- Client experience: Create a single DeKalb housing and services access line with extended and after‑hours coverage, warm handoffs and appointment support; develop a consolidated county resource guide maintained through a single update process; and expand coordinated entry assessments and case management for street outreach.

- Support services: Create three regional service hubs offering basic needs and “pathway” services (employment, documentation, medical/behavioral health) and transportation supports for rural areas.

- Housing services: Prioritize a low‑barrier, non‑congregate shelter focused on families, and recommend a county shelter oversight and advisory group plus a sustainability commitment so shelter work continues beyond initial funding.

- Technology and measurement: Produce business and technical requirements for a shared technology platform to allow providers to share client information and track outcomes; the work group recommended defining requirements before selecting tools.

- Funding: Catalogue public and private funding streams, pursue a 501(c)(3) funding collaborative to aggregate resources and produce a budget for the plan’s recommendations.

Cantore Dodson said the planning team has run limited tests of current access points and found uneven availability: callers reached only 12 of 31 resource phone lines in a small sample and the coordinated entry line has high call volumes and long wait times. The teams also reported that many county services listed in guides are out of date, creating dead ends for people seeking help.

County staff, including the newly hired housing director, have been pulled into the effort: Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson asked whether the county’s new housing director is engaged; Cantore Dodson said he joined the effort within a week of being hired and the Continuum of Care (CoC) participates in all work groups.

Next steps: The coalition will produce draft recommendations for public review in December and share a final plan with the board in January. The presenters asked for continued municipal engagement and said public input sessions will be held (one was scheduled for Oct. 11). The plan will include measurable outcomes and proposed funding requirements when returned to the board.