Safe Harbor Executive Director Anne Perkins addressed the Jan. 9 commission to reintroduce the nonprofit's services and request continued municipal support. Perkins said Safe Harbor has operated for 41 years, has provided over 20,000 shelter stays, manages Harbor Hill (a 34-apartment project), and depends on city-provided project-based Section 8 vouchers to subsidize housing for survivors.

Perkins said Safe Harbor manages Harbor Hill after a tax-credit renovation conducted about 15 years ago in partnership with PNC Bank, and that the City of Ashland currently provides 34 project-based Section 8 vouchers for those units. She said Safe Harbor provides about 13,000 bed nights annually, serves roughly 500 women and children (and some men) in shelter, and moves about 100 families per year into housing.

Perkins also told commissioners that transportation access is a critical need: Safe Harbor spends an estimated $5,000–$7,000 annually on bus tokens and had previously worked with city staff to establish a bus stop at the shelter. She said the organization's payroll is about $900,000 annually and asked the commission to continue supporting Harbor Hill and the ongoing Section 8 voucher allocation.

Commissioners thanked Perkins and acknowledged Safe Harbor as a long-standing local partner; the board later approved an ordinance adopting the housing choice voucher program utility allowance schedule and a separate municipal resolution designating a certifying official for HUD systems (items on the consent agenda).