Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Outreach topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
3CDC outlines Generosity 513 outreach, cites results and funding; commissioners press for clearer ARPA accounting
Summary
3CDC presented results from Generosity 513 downtown outreach, including housing placements, the street outreach hotline and job‑span day labor; commissioners asked for clarity on ARPA funding and county funding levels.
3CDC officials presented the Generosity 513 outreach program to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners and described staffing, outcomes and funding sources for downtown outreach.
David Bissman, vice president of operations at 3CDC, said the organization now spends roughly $700,000 annually on outreach and has expanded outreach staff from three to seven since 2019. "We spend roughly $700,000 on outreach annually," Bissman said, describing an approximately 200% budget increase for outreach since the program merger in 2019.
Marissa Reed, director of operations and outreach for 3CDC, described two core components: a street outreach team and a "job span" (day‑labor) program. Reed said street outreach operates seven days a week with four full‑time outreach workers plus a seasonal worker; the expanded outreach program adds two outreach coordinators who act as hybrid street outreach worker/case manager and focus on a small group of very high‑need clients. According to 3CDC, of the 16 clients currently enrolled in the expanded outreach program, 13 are housed and three have completed housing assessments; six clients have exited (three to nursing homes, one to housing, one incarcerated and one who died).
Bissman said the Downtown Cincinnati Improvement District (DCI) assessment provides $125,000 per year from Hamilton County toward downtown services; additional outreach funding comes from the Hamilton County Mental Health Recovery Services Board (Bissman said the county‑allocated portion of that funding is about $162,000). The presentation also referenced separate ARPA funds previously allocated to shelter‑diversion programs; commissioners sought clarification about how ARPA and other flexible funding had been used and whether it supported street outreach.
The job span program runs three routes three days a week, picking up 10–12 participants per route to perform litter pickup and receive a cash payment and lunch; 3CDC staff and the job span manager use that contact to assess needs and connect participants to shelter, benefits and other services, including City Gospel Mission for intake or meal coordination.
Commissioner Alicia Reis pressed for clearer accounting of ARPA and other one‑time funds and asked that county staff provide detail about whether additional downtown outreach was funded beyond the regular $125,000 assessment. 3CDC staff said geographic focus for Generosity 513 is downtown — generally from the riverfront to Liberty Street and Central to Eggleston — and emphasized coordination with law enforcement, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, the Cincinnati Police Department and other partners.
3CDC representatives said they continue to explore public awareness for the hotline and outreach number and welcomed suggestions; a county official in the meeting said the outreach hotline can accept calls and texts. 3CDC requested continued interagency coordination for chronically homeless clients, data sharing for system‑level planning and partner engagement for safety and outreach in specific downtown corridors.
The presentation was informational; no formal board action was taken.
