Council accepts $780,395 in HUD Shelter Plus Care funds for chronically homeless services

Portsmouth City Council voted 7‑0 to accept $780,395 in Shelter Plus Care funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and appropriate the money in the fiscal year 2025 behavioral health services budget to support housing and services for chronically homeless individuals and families.

The ordinance (agenda item 25‑86) was presented as an acceptance of federal grant funds and appropriation to provide housing and supportive services. Donna Biggs, a resident of the Woodbine Farms neighborhood in Churchland, addressed council during the public hearing for the item and said she had requested documentation showing how the HUD funds would be spent but had not received a response to her March 20 request. Biggs urged transparency and asked for disbursement sheets and program details.

City council moved to adopt the ordinance and approved it by a recorded vote of 7‑0. The meeting record does not include detailed allocations or a vendor/recipient list; the transcript shows the item was presented as a grant acceptance and appropriation, and Biggs requested supporting documents.

The acceptance adds HUD Shelter Plus Care funds into the city’s behavioral health service fund for FY2025 and FY2026 (as stated in the ordinance language read at the meeting). The transcript does not list specific subrecipients, the number of households to be served, or reporting deadlines. Biggs said she had emailed for a disbursement sheet but had not received a response; the city did not provide those details during the public hearing.

Council adopted the ordinance 7‑0; any allocation schedules, subrecipient agreements, or performance reporting obligations were not described in the public meeting record and will likely appear in the city’s grant files or later agenda materials.