Encompass Community Support briefs Fauquier supervisors; board presses for budget transparency

Encompass Community Support presented an overview of its services and finances to the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 13, describing a regional behavioral-health, intellectual and developmental disability (IDD), substance-use and aging-services network that serves five counties and operates multiple sites including a peer-run recovery drop-in center.

The nonprofit said its overall annual budget is roughly $46 million and that Fauquier County's contribution was about $968,000 in 2024 and a little over $1,000,000 in 2025. Encompass officials told the board many revenue streams fund services: state and federal reimbursements, insurance fees, local contributions and approximately 80 grant awards. Presenters said personnel is the largest expense and that about 60% of the organization's revenue goes to salaries.

Encompass described core programs that directly affect Fauquier residents: a warming center that sheltered 62 people last winter, a peer-run C Recovery Center in Culpeper that drew 461 Fauquier encounters last year, outpatient behavioral-health contacts, IDD day supports, substance-use treatment and an overdose-response unit that distributes harm-reduction kits and naloxone. Presenters said the warming-center users skew older (more than half were age 50 and older) and that the C Center helped reduce voluntary psychiatric evaluations at local hospitals.

On finances, Encompass's senior finance director (Lauren Willis Thomas) explained that the agency receives funding from multiple sources; roughly 30% of revenue comes from state sources, around 19% from grants, about 13% from local sources and the remainder from fees and federal funds. Board members pressed for more detail on a large line labeled "transfers" (approximately $7 million on the agency summary), asking what funds were being moved where and whether transfers support operations that do not self-fund. Encompass said transfers often represent movement between internal funds (for example to support non-billable programs such as transit and some aging services) and offered to provide a detailed breakdown to the board.

Supervisors also asked about two local issues: the proposed Fauquier C Center satellite on Hospital Hill and the status of the CTAC (security) contract that had covered a county program. Encompass said it is exploring a local satellite for the C Center to reduce travel burdens for Fauquier clients and confirmed CTAC staffing was ramping down and not being continued in its previous form; county staff said the sheriff's office could provide a fallback at about $50,000 in annual overtime should the county decide to retain the service internally.

Supervisor questions reflected both support and fiscal caution. "We rely heavily on your organization and so I think we need to keep at this as a county to try to... know exactly what we are responsible for and how we fund that," Supervisor Broadus said. Encompass offered to return with more detailed budget breakdowns and to host site visits so supervisors could observe programs directly.

Encompass asked the board to note service metrics showing local impact: the agency reported over 8,000 Meals on Wheels deliveries and 4,000 congregate meals in Fauquier last year, substantial behavioral-health contacts and hundreds of housing supports. Agency staff said many programs are not fully billable and that creative mixes of grant funding and cross-subsidies are used to maintain services.

The board did not take a vote related to Encompass's presentation. Supervisors requested a follow-up meeting with a more detailed fiscal breakdown, specifics on the Hospital Hill C Center proposal and confirmation of the CTAC staffing transition.

"This presentation is helpful. I had no idea how big you guys are," a supervisor said, noting Fauquier's contribution represents a small portion of a larger regional budget and asking for collaboration on efficient service delivery across county and nonprofit providers.