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Grand Forks emergency shelter stays at capacity; witness urges broader use of 1915(i) state plan options
Summary
Grand Forks Housing Authority told the committee the Nest emergency shelter opened in October and has operated at or above capacity; the director recommended using the Medicaid 1915(i) state plan amendment to expand reimbursable home- and community-based behavioral supports and to create rural differentials for travel and non‑face-to-face work.
Katie Jo Armbrust, representing the Grand Forks Housing Authority, updated the committee on the Nest emergency shelter — a 24/7, 16-bed facility for people under the influence of substances or in a mental health crisis that opened October 2. Armbrust said the shelter had served 87 people through its first 114 days, had an average length of stay of 22 days, was at capacity 104 of those 114 days and was over capacity on 29 days.
Armbrust urged the committee to approve the funding in House Bill 1012 that supports the Nest and noted the shelter is part of a larger regional effort that includes city, county, health system and homelessness provider collaboration. In supplemental remarks she suggested two operational changes enabled by the Medicaid 1915(i) state plan amendment: (1) a rural differential to reimburse higher travel or service costs outside urban centers and (2) allowance to bill for work done off-site on behalf of a client (for example, landlord calls, housing supports) so providers can be reimbursed for non–face-to-face time integral to housing stabilization.
Ending: Armbrust asked lawmakers to keep funding as recommended and to explore 1915(i) adjustments to improve rural access and provider reimbursement for activities that support housing stability; no committee action was recorded during the hearing.
