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Commissioners approve amended Supportive Housing Services year‑4 work plan and back draft year‑5 amid revenue forecast cut
Summary
The Washington County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an amended year‑4 Supportive Housing Services (SHS) work plan and endorsed a draft year‑5 plan. Staff said a roughly 15% revenue forecast reduction required scaling some providers' contract capacity while preserving permanent supportive housing placement goals.
The Washington County Board of Commissioners on April 1 approved an amended year‑4 work plan for the voter‑approved Supportive Housing Services (SHS) program and gave preliminary approval to staff’s draft year‑5 work plan intended to govern fiscal year 2026.
Assistant Director Jess Larson and the SHS team told the board a forecasted revenue decline of roughly 15 percent compared with earlier projections required scaling some programmatic goals. ‘‘This is a year of transition,’’ Larson said, adding that the county will focus on efficiencies and completing several capital projects while maintaining core permanent supportive housing placements.
Nicole Sting, strategic initiatives manager, and new staffer Katie Gentry detailed the proposed year‑5 goals: 375 housing placements through SHS‑funded programs; continued system throughput with an emphasis on exits from shelter to positive destinations; an 85 percent housing‑retention goal for households placed through SHS programs; and a goal of 200 households ‘‘graduated’’ from program case management into long‑term housing stability.
Sting and Gentry said planned capital investments include opening a third new emergency shelter and an access center next year, two transitional housing sites entering construction, and development work on permanent supportive housing. The team also said the county aims to design a pooled‑fund move‑in resource and expand clinical billing to Medicaid for at least four providers.
Where the plan reduced activity, staff said they would scale back rapid rehousing and move‑in readiness funding and reduce SHS support for some shelter unit operating costs; however, they said the county’s broader shelter system will still include more than 400 units once state investments are counted. Staff explained eviction‑prevention funding would be reduced from a planned 1,400 households to roughly 1,000 this fiscal year because one‑time bridge funding used to hold the program level had been exhausted.
Commissioner discussion emphasized implementation speed and provider feedback. Commissioner Schneider relayed constituent reports that approval timing and payment processing can be challenging for providers and asked staff to streamline contract and invoicing processes. Assistant County Administrator and SHS staff invited providers or board members who hear concerns to bring them directly to staff or to the county administrator for follow up.
Board action: Commissioner motioned to approve the amended year‑4 work plan and to endorse the draft year‑5 work plan for submission to Metro; the motion passed unanimously, 4–0.
Votes at a glance (formal actions from this meeting): - Supportive Housing Services: Motion to approve the amended fiscal year 4 work plan and to endorse draft year 5 work plan (motion carried 4–0). Motion text: ‘‘Approve the amended year‑4 work program and give a thumbs up for the draft year‑5 work program for submission to Metro.’’ Mover/second: not specified in the public record at the moment of voting. - Housing Authority PHA plans: Housing Authority Board authorized submission of the FY2025 five‑year plan, annual PHA plan, and MTW supplement to HUD (6–0). Mover: Director Savaro; second: Director Roper. - Appointments: Motion to appoint members to the Housing Advisory Committee (Chris Aissa, Paul Cummings, Lehi Kimley Crew, Kushnel Lucas, Deborah Walton) passed 4–0. - Proclamations: The board approved proclamations for Arab American Heritage Month, National Public Health Week, Fair Housing Month and National County Government Month (each motion carried 4–0).
Board members and staff said they will provide more granular reporting on shelter exits, transitions from temporary encampment or pod programs into permanent housing, and program outcomes as staff finalize metrics for year‑5. ‘‘We’ll continue to refine goals and report quarterly,’’ said Larson.
Ending: The board instructed staff to submit the draft year‑5 work plan to Metro (as required in the program timetable) and to continue stakeholder engagement while implementing the amended year‑4 program.
