Georgetown navigation center director urges state funding as shelter seeks sustainability

Judd, a Springboard representative, told the Georgetown Town Council that the Navigation Center’s operations are financially lean but still dependent on expanded state funding to remain sustainable.

The center’s cost per person per day is “now around $56,” Judd said, and average stays are roughly five months. He said about 35% of participants move to permanent housing, roughly 30% are employed and another 25% receive benefits. “Since we opened January of 23, there has not been a single death from overdose in the village,” he added.

The Navigation Center presentation described the program as a low-barrier transitional housing model that provides meals, wraparound services and a safe place to sleep. Judd said low-barrier means residents are not required to accept treatment to stay, but substance use on-site is prohibited. He told the council the program has recently hired an additional navigator to focus on employment and employer outreach.

Why it matters: Judd urged council support for a state budget increase to the Division of Social Services line item that funds emergency and transitional housing operations. He said the current Delaware line in the budget allocates about $1.6 million for 13 shelter operations statewide and that the grant is awarded on a four-year cycle; the next award cycle is in April. He described the line as underfunded for the program’s needs and said Springboard will testify before the joint finance committee.

Judd framed the state funding ask with service-cost data and outreach results. He summarized national research indicating the top 10% of persistently homeless individuals account for a disproportionate share of public costs (emergency medical, police, justice-system encounters). He pointed to a Maine example in which that state expanded a similar program’s annual funding—from roughly $500,000 to $10 million—to illustrate how increased investment can reduce those costs in the long run.

On local outreach, Judd said Springboard has compiled a by-name list of people living outdoors in Georgetown and nearby towns. “For Georgetown, we have over a hundred names of people still living in the woods, 90 of which would like to come into a shelter,” he said, adding that limited capacity has prevented placing everyone who wants shelter.

Judd also discussed data-collection mechanics. He described the HUD point-in-time count as a one-night snapshot that undercounts people but can indicate trends year to year. He said Springboard’s street-outreach questionnaire captures duration of homelessness, chronic conditions, prior housing location and other details to produce a more complete local picture.

Council members asked for clarifications about the specific budget line and cost calculations. Judd reiterated that the advocacy is for a state-level increase to the emergency/transitional housing operations grant and encouraged letters of support from council members ahead of the joint finance hearings.

Public comment during the same agenda item included residents offering local counts and calling for both direct outreach and more affordable housing. Eric Amaro, who said he volunteers in street outreach, stated, “Georgetown currently has 87 homeless people. I count them all.” Sunny Giani, a Georgetown resident, urged the council to pursue more affordable housing so people who complete transitional programs have places to move into.

The presentation and public remarks left several operational questions noted by council members: how many residents are chronically homeless versus recently arrived, the program’s multi-year funding plan, and whether centralized intake or HMIS participation would change placement priorities. Judd said Springboard currently inputs data into the state homeless database and anticipates working with the state’s centralized intake if future grants require it; he emphasized the program intends to prioritize people with a Georgetown connection when openings exist.

Looking ahead, Judd said Springboard expects to know the state’s funding decision by July and urged local advocates to submit testimony to joint finance. He said the Navigation Center has cash reserves to operate through the remainder of the calendar year and is seeking a multi-year state commitment to continue and expand the model.

The council took no formal funding action at the meeting; the item was an informational briefing and an advocacy update.