Pitkin County reviews homelessness strategic plan; consultants recommend local rental subsidies, service hub and permanent supportive housing

Pitkin County commissioners heard an update on the county’s homelessness strategic plan on Aug. 19, when county human services and housing staff and consultants from SHG Advisors presented initial findings and possible next steps, including a locally funded rental subsidy, a centralized housing navigation hub and development of permanent supportive housing.

The presentation, led by Lindsey Maish, director of human services for Pitkin County, and Ashley Pearl, housing and resiliency director for Pitkin County, was delivered by SHG Advisors’ Summer Gather Cole, Cassie Westmoreland and Rutgers professor Dan Treglia, who summarized the county’s data and service gaps and outlined short- and longer-term options.

“Right now it truly is a solvable problem,” Summer Gather Cole said, describing the county’s situation as one in which existing services keep people alive but do not reliably help them exit homelessness. Maish described the county’s work since 2018 to build a coordinated response and said COVID-era grants and subsequent contracting expanded outreach and emergency shelter capacity but left the county needing more technical expertise to move to the next stage.

Why it matters: Commissioners were told the county’s homeless system is relatively new, built up after COVID, and currently emphasizes street outreach and a winter emergency shelter. Because the county lacks exits to permanent housing, people who enter the system often “get stuck,” commissioners and consultants said. Commissioners and staff framed the issue as both a supply problem—too few units affordable at the rents people can access—and a system design problem—insufficient subsidies, housing navigation and long-term supports.

Key findings and numbers presented - The consultants reported about 153 people tracked in the county’s HMIS (Homeless Management Information System), with the number of households matching the number of people (indicating few or no families recorded in HMIS). Consultants noted HMIS does not capture many people who are couch-surfing, living in vehicles or in domestic-violence shelters that are not entered into HMIS for safety reasons. - About 47 people were identified as chronically homeless (long-term, disability‑linked homelessness). - Only about 16% of people recorded in HMIS were exiting to housing, according to the consultants’ analysis. - The county currently tracks eight prevention slots in HMIS and operates an emergency winter shelter; most people in HMIS enter services via street outreach.

Options discussed - Local rental subsidy: Consultants proposed creating a county-funded rental subsidy targeted at people who are literally homeless or face barriers to leasing (eviction history, criminal background, domestic violence, etc.). The consultants noted federal HUD subsidies are constrained by HUD fair market rent limits, which make many units in Pitkin County ineligible for standard HUD vouchers unless substantial waivers or alternative local subsidies are used. - Housing navigation and stabilization hub: A centralized “hub” or single access point was recommended to coordinate prevention funding, landlord engagement, housing navigation and short-term interventions that can help people “self-resolve” without falling deeper into homelessness. - Permanent supportive housing (PSH): For the county’s chronically homeless population (roughly the 47 identified in HMIS), consultants recommended planning for PSH that pairs deep rental subsidies with on-site or intensive case management. Consultants said PSH funding often comes with substantial building and operating subsidies that make multi‑use facilities—combining housing, shelter and administration—more financially feasible in high-cost markets.

Commissioner concerns and staff follow-up Commissioners pressed staff and consultants on data gaps, particularly around families and seasonality, and asked for more localized rental-market analysis. Commissioner Francie (last name not specified in the transcript) and other commissioners urged work on a two-track approach: shorter-term rental subsidy and navigation programs to address the workforce/hidden-homeless population, and concurrent planning for PSH for the chronically homeless.

Staff and consultants said next steps will include refining the rental-market analysis, creating business-plan–style cost estimates for proposed subsidy programs, testing landlord engagement strategies, and bringing back detailed program plans (including budgets, staffing and timelines) for board direction.

Ending note Commissioners did not take a formal vote at the work session. Staff said they will return with more detailed recommendations and cost analyses, and that the county has budgeted initial property-tax revenue from its affordable and workforce housing mill levy to support consultant work and potential pilot programs.