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County reports increased behavioral‑health housing investments but stakeholders warn jail‑release backlog persists
Summary
Behavioral Health Services told the Health & Hospital Committee Tuesday that the county is investing tens of millions in housing supports but judges and advocates said an urgent backlog remains of people ordered released from custody who lack placements.
Behavioral Health Services updated supervisors on county housing programs Tuesday, reporting roughly $44 million in behavioral‑health housing expenditures (not including community residential treatment facilities) and a rental‑assistance program that used roughly $29 million this fiscal year.
Department deputy director Megan Wheelahan said the department has convened stakeholders — including justice partners — to prioritize the rental assistance pipeline and recently moved about 25 clients from the “JAC list” (court‑identified candidates for release conditional on housing/treatment placement) into the rental assistance program. She said further convenings are planned.
Public comment and judicial concern: Speakers, including a presiding judge, told supervisors that the backlog of people ordered released from custody but lacking housing placements remains a crisis. Judge Manley urged the county to prioritize placement capacity and noted the court would commit federal grant resources to secure additional treatment beds (the judge said the court would contribute funding to secure 12 beds at a Vermont facility and 10 more in coming months).
Board action: Supervisors received the verbal update and asked staff for continued convenings and data on the rental assistance program; staff said a detailed data deep‑dive would be included in the next quarterly report to the full board.
