HSAC: County budget approved; agencies told to return purchase orders as needs assessment names housing a priority

The Cape May County Human Services Advisory Council (HSAC) on April 2 reported that the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners approved the county's 2025 budget on March 25, and county fiscal offices will begin issuing 2025 purchase orders for service contracts. HSAC members were asked to sign and return purchase orders promptly so first-quarter payments can be processed after agencies submit first-quarter reports. Sabrina Hand, HSAC coordinator, said most HSAC office activities are covered in committee reports and that contract closeouts and reporting were the month's focus; she noted all calendar-year 2024 contracts except one for which HSAC is the designated administrative entity have been closed out. A CMC Health Department needs-assessment meeting on March 27, conducted with 35th Street Consulting, used focus groups to discuss barriers to services and possible collaborations; housing was identified as a priority in both the HSAC and Health Department assessment processes. "One of the goals is to identify ways to expand resources without providing duplicate services," said Megan Santiago, Consumer Advocate, adding that the Health Department will make final needs-assessment materials public on its website when the process is complete. The meeting packet also included a letter requested at the March HSAC meeting and sent to the federal delegation advocating against proposed reductions to Medicaid funding. The council did not take formal policy action at the April 2 meeting; staff were reminded to circulate training/topic suggestions for the June meeting and to submit purchase orders once received.