County reports progress housing high‑use individuals; outlines HAP 6 priorities and $2.57M allocation

Marin County health officials on June 24 briefed supervisors on two homelessness items: early outcomes from a High Utilization Case Management (HUCM) program that targeted people with frequent emergency service use, and requirements and priorities for the state’s Homelessness, Housing and Prevention (HAP 6) grant.

HUCM: the program, launched in fiscal year 2021–22 with contributions from all 11 cities and the county, funded four dedicated case‑management caseloads intended to house individuals who heavily used emergency services. The program created 68 case slots; staff said 56 of those individuals had been housed as of the June 24 report and that 96% of clients remain connected to housing supports. Over the four‑year life of the program the team engaged about 164 individuals (some were referred and later exited and were replaced) to keep caseloads full. The county noted that placement progress is slower when there is a shortfall in subsidized vouchers such as Section 8.

HAP 6: the state’s round‑six HAP allocation for Marin is approximately $2.57 million. The state requires a regionally coordinated action plan outlining how counties will use funds; for Marin the plan must be shaped by stakeholder engagement and must demonstrate progress on state metrics before the county can fund certain “non‑priority” activities. The state’s priority categories include permanent housing and prevention; non‑priority categories generally include outreach, case management and supportive services unless all prior obligations and operations are documented and resourced.

County leaders walked the board through the HAP metrics the state monitors: reductions in service use while homeless, reductions in unsheltered homelessness, reductions in first‑time homelessness, increases in exits to permanent housing, shorter episodes of homelessness and fewer returns to homelessness. The county reported a 32.2% increase in exits to permanent housing during the measured period and a 5.1% reduction in unsheltered homelessness; first‑time homelessness increased by about 12% over the reporting period. Officials said progress on those metrics will affect eligibility and routing of HAP funds. The HAP 6 application is due in late August; staff said they will conduct three required public presentations (this is the first), submit the regional plan to the state, and then run procurement processes for county and Continuum of Care funds if the plan is approved.

Supervisors asked for more disaggregated data—age groups and more detailed demographic breakdowns—and staff said they would provide additional detail on first‑time homelessness and geographic distribution of the HUCM participants. Staff also said they will post program results and monthly updates on the county’s homelessness data dashboard as HUCM concludes its referrals.