DCF requests $30.5M one‑time to continue emergency housing, adds HOP base funding and outlines Summer EBT plan

Department for Children and Families officials told the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 14 that the FY26 request includes $30.5 million in one‑time funding to continue the General Assistance (GA) emergency housing program, and that the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) would receive a baseline increase to the Housing Opportunity Program (HOP) to support shelter operations.

Megan Smeaton and Commissioner Chris Winters described the one‑time $30.5 million as a continuation of the emergency housing program at FY25 service levels after a year of operation. Smeaton told the committee the FY26 number is lower than FY25 because DCF now has operational data (room capacities and use patterns) and an $80 nightly cap on rooms that improves the accuracy of projections: "This is lower than what the funding that's appropriated for '25 for the same program because we now know and operated it for a year."

Staff said the request also includes a $2 million one‑time shelter capacity expansion fund to provide starter costs for additional shelter capacity and a $3.3 million increase to HOP base funding to continue operating newly opened shelters. Agency staff said HOP totals roughly $26 million in current base funding and that $3.3 million is the proposed addition to sustain new shelter operations.

Committee members discussed shelter capacity numbers: staff reported approximately 630 shelter beds open in the regular (non‑ARC) season, budgeted planning for 1,100 non‑ARC placements and a maximum capacity of roughly 1,450 rooms for adverse weather response (ARC) situations. Senators and staff debated whether funds should prioritize more permanent shelter or other housing development; agency staff said funding could be flexible but expressed a preference for permanent shelter where feasible.

On food assistance, staff described a new Summer EBT benefit intended to provide per‑child food assistance over the summer months. The program was described as a per‑child EBT supplement, not strictly the pandemic EBT emergency program that operated during COVID; staff said the summer program is not entirely federally funded and that DCF expects to administer per‑child benefits to families who are not otherwise on regular EBT.

Officials said they would continue working with the Legislature on statutory and program design details for the hotel/motel program and other GA administration matters.