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Rescue Outreach Mission outlines funding history and asks Seminole County for possible midyear support
Summary
County staff and Rescue Outreach Mission leaders reviewed two decades of funding, ARPA expenditures and shelter operations; ROM requested up to $280,000 in additional county support this fiscal year beyond $200,000 already allocated.
Seminole County staff and leaders from Rescue Outreach Mission (ROM) briefed the Board of County Commissioners on the county's funding relationship with ROM and current operational and fundraising conditions, and ROM requested an additional county allocation of up to $280,000 for the current fiscal year.
Deputy County Manager Trish Johnson and Community Assistance Division Manager Carrie Longsworth summarized programs that serve people experiencing homelessness in Seminole County and reviewed funding sources including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), the county's Community Service Agreements (CSA), the state housing initiatives partnership (SHIP) and federal CARES and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Longsworth told the board the county has a competitive process for federal HUD dollars and that the county may choose to run some ESG and CDBG activities internally rather than award them to nonprofits.
Johnson said the county has a long history of funding ROM. She reported nearly 30 agreements over 20 years, including a 2013 CDBG developer agreement that committed $1,100,000 to renovate ROM properties and construct a women's shelter; the properties carry restricted-use covenants through June 2034. Johnson said ARPA funds awarded to ROM totaled $2,850,000 and were fully expended by September 2024; an amendment in January 2023 added three restricted-use covenants so that five ROM properties now have such covenants.
Chris Ham, ROM executive director, described the shelter's role as a 24-hour facility that served almost 250 housing placements last year and said ROM operates at an estimated cost of about $38 per client per night. Ham said ROM has increased non-government fundraising in recent years, reported about $1.4 million in total overhead and said it currently holds roughly $800,000 in unrestricted reserves. He said ROM expects to use about $120,000 of reserves this year to maintain an operating reserve target of roughly 180 days.
Ham asked commissioners for up to $280,000 in additional county funding for the current fiscal year beyond $200,000 the board has already allocated through CSA funding. He said the organization hopes increased private fundraising will reduce future reliance on government support and asked the county to encourage other local governments in Seminole County to provide assistance.
Commissioners asked for additional data before deciding on new funding: rates of recidivism (people cycling back through the shelter), geographic origin of shelter clients within the county, and a clearer breakdown of needs related to substance use and severe mental health conditions. Several commissioners said the request should be considered in upcoming budget work sessions rather than acted on immediately.
No formal appropriation was approved at the meeting; the board and staff agreed to review ROM's budget and fundraising trends during the county budget process before any additional county funding is authorized.
