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Rescue Outreach Mission seeks up to $400,000 in county funds as shelter demand rises
Summary
Rescue Outreach Mission told commissioners it expects rising demand and may need up to $400,000 in county Community Service Agency (CSA) funds to avoid running reserves below three months; the organization urged continued county partnership while planning to expand fundraising and use reserves cautiously.
Rescue Outreach Mission (ROM) told the Seminole County commission May 20 it is projecting increased shelter demand and requested the board consider up to $400,000 in CSA or county funding to stabilize operations through its 2026 fiscal year.
ROM representatives said they have increased services, added staffing and used reserves; current projections would leave about three months of operating reserves if additional funds are not secured.
Nut graf: Why it matters — ROM operates the county’s primary open shelter and provides emergency beds; any disruption could increase unsheltered homelessness and pressure county-managed hotel placement programs.
Chris Ham of Rescue Outreach Mission and Christine Schaefer, director of shelter services, briefed the board on 2024 enrollments (733 enrollments serving 695 unique guests), service-area origins (about 50% report coming from Sanford) and client needs. ROM reported about 31% of guests said they slept outside the night before presenting at the shelter; revisits were about 5% in 2024.
ROM said shelter nightly cost per guest is roughly $35—far less than reported hotel or jail bed costs—and described partnerships with Recovery Connections, Team Challenge and other providers for substance use and mental health services. ROM also said it is pursuing fundraising and has a fundraising event schedule, projecting a 20% increase in fundraising next year but remaining cautious about federal grant timing.
“We are prepared, and we are gonna be tapping into some of the reserves that we've saved,” Christine Schaefer said, adding that reserves would fall to roughly three months by the start of ROM’s FY2026 if no additional funding is received.
Commissioners asked for ROM’s budget-to-actual line-item detail and two years of budgets; several commissioners emphasized the county uses a CSA/community-needs assessment process to allocate nonprofit funding and requested staff analysis of cost-effectiveness across shelter providers. Commissioner Lockhart said county staff should review whether the allocation formula for shelter beds or base CSA funding needs adjustment.
Nut graf (follow-up): County staff said they would review ROM’s documentation and the CSA allocation formula and report back; no formal appropriations were made at the session.
Ending: ROM said it will continue fundraising, requested earlier notice if the board needs more detail, and commissioners said staff will evaluate ROM’s request as part of the FY26 budget process.
