City staff presented the results of a May RFP for “comprehensive community solutions” addressing homelessness at the Grand Junction City Council workshop on Sept. 29. Staff said nine proposals were submitted and six were evaluated; three rose for further interviews. After follow‑up interviews, staff recommended prioritizing support for emergency shelter and recently expanded service capacity and suggested a combined total allocation of $350,000 in one‑time funds to sustain or stabilize the highest‑priority proposals.

Staff recommendations (for council consideration during the 2026 budget process):
- Grand Valley Catholic Outreach: $75,000 (staff recommended full award). Staff said $61,152 could be covered from current CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) allocations and the balance ($13,847) would be a general‑fund one‑time request. The outreach request targets rental assistance and eviction prevention services, including for survivors of domestic violence.
- Hilltop Community Resources: recommended $250,000 (Hilltop requested $500,000 over three years). Staff said Hilltop seeks funding to stabilize recently acquired/expanded shelter and transitional programs, winter emergency shelter, and development of a bridge‑shelter model with 30–60 day stays.
- Joseph Center: recommended $100,000 (Joseph Center requested $200,000 per year for three years). The Joseph Center proposal would sustain emergency family shelter, day services, workforce programs, childcare and case management, and integrate housing and behavioral‑health supports.

Staff said the RFP review team included interdepartmental city staff and outside reviewers; the solicitation was distributed nationally (BidNet) and locally, produced 135 stakeholder engagements and attracted proposals that together requested roughly $3.6 million across the board. Staff emphasized that the city has no ongoing funding source for these services and that any allocation would be one‑time fund balance items to be considered with other one‑time requests during the 2026 budget discussions.

Unhoused needs assessment and partnership context: Presenters from the Mesa County Coordinated Community Housing group (MCCUH) and partner agencies briefed council on a recently completed unhoused needs assessment. Highlights presented by Ashley Chambers and partners included an estimated community‑wide unhoused population of about 2,400 (derived from multiple modeling techniques), a point‑in‑time count of 725 individuals in January (the presenters said the PIT usually captures about 25–33% of the modeled total), and that about 387 individuals in the PIT were counted as unsheltered. Presenters described a housing continuum with insufficient shelter, no interim housing, limited permanent supportive housing and a large “invisible” population (people doubled up, in vehicles, hotels or temporary arrangements).

Council discussion: Council members pressed for clarity about sustainability of services, whether nonprofit providers had shown plans to sustain programs without ongoing city support, and for a clear presentation of how city support would deliver measurable benefits or reduce other city costs (public safety, emergency response, health). Staff and nonprofit representatives said the requests largely aim to stabilize newly expanded services and to avoid service reductions as federal, state and private funding streams have tightened. Multiple council members emphasized that staff would present these prioritized one‑time requests alongside other budget items and that any funding decisions would be made as part of the 2026 budget process—no formal appropriation was made at the workshop.

Next steps: Staff will include the recommended CDBG allocation and the proposed one‑time general‑fund requests in the 2026 budget packet for council consideration. Council asked staff to provide additional detail about each recommended provider’s financial sustainability and contingency plans before final budget action.