Commissioner presses staff for legal options as HHS contract for homeless services grows

Commissioners asked Health & Human Services and finance staff Monday for more information about a growing consolidated contract for homeless services and whether the county can decline some or all of the state-funded work. Commissioner Dahl said the consolidated contract had increased from roughly $4 million to about $11 million since he took office and expressed skepticism that higher spending was reducing homelessness. “The more we spend on it, the more they come,” Dahl said. He told staff he wanted research on whether counties are required to accept the state contract or whether the state would re-solicit administration to local nonprofits if a county declined. Health & Human Services staff responded that the grant originally targeted the HIN program and eligible individuals but has broadened over time as additional state funding arrived. “If counties choose not to engage, they would do a request for proposals in your county and look for a nonprofit in your county to administer the funding,” HHS staff said, but they agreed to re-check the legal position and follow up with the county attorney. Finance Director Kathy Funk Baxter said the county had already started work on two pass-through contracts with community providers and planned to bring those agreements back to the board for approval in the coming weeks. No vote was taken Monday; commissioners directed staff to obtain written clarification from the state and return with options.