Jefferson County committee approves contracts, funding plan to expand homeless outreach, data collection and warming centers

Jefferson County’s Health & Human Services Committee on a voice vote approved a set of measures to expand homeless services, fund street outreach and pay for data collection and warming-center capital needs.

Presenters from the county Department of Social Services (DSS) outlined recommendations including a county homelessness data dashboard, two street-outreach teams, continuation of three warming centers through the end of the Code Blue winter period, and investments in supportive housing planning. The committee then approved related agreements and budget amendments.

County administrators said homelessness and affordable housing rose to the top of residents’ priorities in recent outreach and that the county has been working on these issues since high-profile incidents in 2021. Presenters warned homelessness is a complex, long-term management problem shaped by national and state trends, local housing affordability and a decline in long-term psychiatric inpatient capacity.

The committee approved a not-to-exceed agreement for a homelessness data collection dashboard with Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDR HPO). Presenters described the proposed dashboard as a tool to move beyond annual point-in-time counts and to track service usage and target interventions; the resolution authorizes contracting up to an amount described in committee materials (presentation noted $67,000 as an upper bound).

The committee also approved an agreement with ACR Health to fund homelessness street outreach. The director of community services told the committee the proposed ACR Health contract is $141,000 and would add an outreach team with experience in addiction services to complement an existing outreach team.

County staff recommended continuing three warming centers (Salvation Army, New Life Christian Church and Emmanuel Congregation) for the next six months. Presenters said the proposed budgets include one-time capital upgrades — items such as kitchen equipment, security upgrades and shower facilities — and estimated one center’s capital needs at about $50,000. Committee members were told the annual operating cost after one-time capital would be roughly $150,000; presenters said funds would be drawn from opioid settlement proceeds, state programs and the county’s homelessness ARPA account (roughly $768,000 remained in that account according to the presentation).

Committee members asked for monthly utilization reports from providers. DSS staff provided utilization snapshots during the meeting: Salvation Army’s overnight warming center averaged about 17 individuals per night and had served 126 unduplicated individuals through the mid-month reporting date; New Life’s daytime site saw between six and 15 individuals per day and had served 75 unduplicated people; Emmanuel reported about 75 meals per evening during its operating hours.

Presenters recommended a multi-year approach: improve data collection, sustain outreach and warming centers while increasing housing supply and planning for supportive housing. County legislators acknowledged the initiatives are not a silver bullet but said they supported continuing the investments to build relationships and pathways off the street.

The committee approved seven Health & Human Services–sponsored resolutions on related topics by voice vote, including agreements for opioid settlement funds, mental hygiene services, mobile crisis programming and the homelessness contracts and data collection. Where specific dollar amounts were described in presentations (for example $67,000 for the dashboard proposal and $141,000 for the ACR Health outreach contract), staff said final contract language and amounts will be refined before execution.

The county also reported that it has procured an emergency supply trailer and coordinated packing of the trailer with Highway and Emergency Management staff so it will be deployable if needed.

Committee members directed staff to return with contract language and to provide regular utilization and outcome reports so the committee can monitor and, if necessary, redirect funds and programs.

"We have to build trust, relationships, convince folks to make a change one at a time," the director of community services said when describing outreach priorities. "If we can't compel change, we have to influence change."