Legislative interim committee opens statewide homelessness study after multi‑agency briefings

The North Dakota Legislative Management Human Services Interim Committee on Monday opened a months‑long study of homelessness after briefings from state agencies and community providers on the size of the population, funding available and where gaps remain.

Committee members heard data and program summaries from the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency; Department of Health and Human Services; the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and community providers including the Center for Opportunity (Bismarck), Missouri Slope Area United Way’s Center for Opportunity and the Fargo‑Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness.

The committee chair, Senator Keith Davison, said the panel would collect that information and “develop recommendations and any bill drafts necessary to implement the recommendations.” The committee’s next tentative meeting date mentioned during the session was Nov. 20.

Why it matters: Witnesses told the committee the state is seeing more people in crisis, a growing share of infants and toddlers seeking services and large variation across counties in the mix of shelter and in‑home providers. Those trends affect workforce participation, program costs and where limited state and federal dollars best can be spent to prevent or shorten episodes of homelessness.

What the agencies said

Jennifer Henderson, director of community housing and grants management at the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA), summarized federal and state housing supports used to…