Skagit County holds public hearing to reallocate Whatcom HOME‑ARP funds from shelter acquisition to supportive services

Skagit County held a public hearing Sept. 15 to consider a substantial amendment to the HOME American Rescue Plan (HOME‑ARP) action plan that would shift about $1,000,000 of Whatcom County’s HOME‑ARP allocation from acquisition and development of non‑congregate shelter to supportive services.

Shelly (housing staff) told the Board that the HOME consortium — led by Skagit County and covering Skagit, Island and Whatcom counties (excluding the city of Bellingham) — received $3,590,000 in HOME‑ARP funding in 2021 and must expend it by September 2030. She said HOME‑ARP dollars have different eligibility and allowable uses than annual HOME funds and described the four qualifying population categories for HOME‑ARP services: people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or experiencing other defined housing instability.

"These additional dollars function a little bit differently than that traditional annual allocation of HOME funds," Shelly said, and explained that supportive services under HOME‑ARP can include short‑ and medium‑term rental assistance, housing counseling, case management, financial assistance and related program oversight.

Shelly said Whatcom County stakeholders had prioritized non‑congregate shelter originally but have not identified an eligible, shovel‑ready project within HOME‑ARP’s expenditure timeline. She said stakeholders instead recommended shifting the roughly $1,000,000 that Whatcom held for shelter acquisition into supportive services so local nonprofits can deliver rental assistance, case management and other direct services.

Commissioners asked for background on how the consortium split funding. Janicki asked whether the post‑administration allocation among counties was formulaic; Shelly replied the consortium chose to use HUD’s allocation formula, which factors population and housing need data. "HUD’s formula for allocation of HOME funding is based on population as well as different housing community need," Shelly said.

Commissioner Browning praised the program administration levels, saying he was "impressed that you guys have an admin fee that's about 10 percent roughly," noting that lower admin shares leave more dollars for services.

The Board held the required public hearing; no members of the public testified in the room or online during the hearing. The county published the proposed amendment and related notices in the Skagit Valley Herald and opened a formal comment period that runs through Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m. Shelly said the county will finalize the amendment after the comment period, publish updated plan documents on the HOME consortium website and then work with Whatcom County partners to issue contracts for supportive services.

The amendment is administrative (a reallocation between eligible HOME‑ARP activity categories) rather than an immediate contract award; Shelly described the next steps as negotiating contracts with nonprofit providers in Whatcom once the amendment is final.

Background: the HOME‑ARP allocation is separate from annual HOME formula funding; it was added during the American Rescue Plan to address pandemic‑era housing instability. Under HOME‑ARP, eligibility is determined by households’ housing situation rather than strict income bands used for traditional HOME funds.

Public comment on the proposed HOME‑ARP amendment remains open through Sept. 22 (4:30 p.m.). Shelly offered to receive community comments and questions by phone or email and will incorporate substantive comments into the finalized amendment materials.

Ending: The Board closed the hearing at the end of the public‑hearing segment and will consider the finalized amendment after the public comment period ends.