County briefings highlight youth homelessness services and available grant funding

Mason County staff at the commissioners' March 3 briefing outlined priorities for behavioral-health and homeless-response funding and said the county would release a request for qualifications to allocate $342,999 in unspent consolidated homeless grant funds.

The advisory-board report, described by a county staff member as the 2024 annual report, separates priorities for homeless crisis response from behavioral health and lists potential funding priorities should money be available in 2025. County staff said the RFQ will be distributed to programs that already receive consolidated homeless grant (CHG) funding; only currently CHG-funded agencies will be eligible to apply for the leftover $342,999.

The county update preceded a detailed presentation by Susan Kerchoff, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Youth Connection, which operates two youth centers in Mason County and runs shelter and housing programs for people ages 12–24. Kerchoff summarized the organization's 2024 results and operational needs: rapid rehousing enrolled about 100 young people representing 75 households; 67 of those households were literally homeless on entry. Kerchoff said 49 program exits were recorded in the county system; 37 of those exits went to positive housing destinations (a 76% positive-exit rate by that accounting), and four individuals returned to homelessness. She also cited Youth Connection data that 149 individuals were enrolled in care programs in 2024 and that staff recorded 7,469 youth sign-ins at the two centers across the year.

Kerchoff said Youth Connection provides diversion, rapid rehousing, eviction prevention and emergency shelter (capacity for 14, expandable to 16 in some circumstances). She stated the nonprofit offers intensive case management, housing-first services and daily food, clothing and hygiene access. On funding she said the organization is “about 90% grant funded” and described a mix of direct federal and state grants plus county pass-through dollars; she also noted the organization had won multiple state NOFO awards in recent years.

County staff said the RFQ approach (request for qualifications) is being used because only agencies already receiving CHG funding are eligible, and the county hopes to reallocate the unspent dollars quickly so the funds remain available for future biennium matching and spending.

The presentations concluded with commissioners and staff noting next steps: the county will release the RFQ to eligible providers, and Youth Connection representatives said they will continue seeking grants and supports for shelter capacity, transitional housing units and a planned remodel that would add showers, laundry and a full kitchen.

Kerchoff closed by asking for community awareness and support for the programs that serve youth; county staff said they expect to have the RFQ posted in the coming briefings cycle.