City staff outline amendments to homeless services contracts, including funds for SEARCH rapid‑rehousing and ESG‑RUSH grants
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Summary
City Housing Department staff briefed members of the Quality of Life Committee on three proposed contract actions to extend or fund shelter, engagement and rapid‑rehousing services, including $1.111 million in amendments to SEARCH Homeless Services and an ESG‑RUSH subgrant of $925,000.
City Housing Department staff briefed the Quality of Life Committee on proposed contract amendments and subrecipient agreements intended to sustain data, planning and direct services for people experiencing homelessness.
Assistant Director Melody Barr described three items the department planned to present to the committee for review. Item 3A is a first amendment to a contract with the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston & Harris County to extend strategic homeless planning services and add up to $130,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. "This amendment extends the contract until 05/31/2026," Barr told the committee.
Item 3B is a first amendment to a subrecipient agreement with SEARCH Homeless Services to extend time of performance to Jan. 31, 2026, and provide up to $1,111,687 to administer and operate the SEARCH engagement center. Barr described the funding mix as $611,687 in CDBG funds, $400,000 in Homeless Housing Services Program (state) funds and $100,000 in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) funding. The department said the SEARCH engagement center serves as a front door to housing and supportive services (case management, transportation assistance, life‑skills, linkage to healthcare and peer recovery specialists) and that the program helps prepare HUD documents such as the consolidated plan and CAPERs, and conducts the annual point‑in‑time count.
Item 3C is a subrecipient agreement through HUD’s ESG‑RUSH (emergency solutions grant, rapid unsheltered survivor housing) special disaster fund. The department proposed awarding SEARCH up to $925,000 for a rapid rehousing program to serve 40 households displaced or affected by recent disasters (Derecho and other storm events). ESG‑RUSH is a HUD special grant for communities with unmet needs after a federal disaster declaration; Barr said the funds were awarded after a March 2025 disaster declaration and a competitive Request for Expression of Interest.
Committee members asked for outcome and tracking data for SEARCH services. Barr said engagement services are distinct from housing outcomes: engagement is often the first contact and may provide services short of housing; department figures provided during the briefing showed that of people served in the last 12 months roughly 161 were on the by‑name list waiting for housing and 13 people were placed in housing (five into permanent supportive housing and eight via rapid rehousing). Barr and SEARCH staff said they can work with council on which outcome metrics the council prefers.
No committee votes were taken; the items were presented for committee review and will proceed through normal procurement and council approval processes where required.
Ending: Staff said they will provide additional outcome and funding‑history data requested by council members, including a city accounting of prior CARES/ARPA federal allocations and the administration will report back with more system‑level information at a future meeting.