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DHS outlines DC Flex expansion—460 family slots, 75 mixed singles/youth slots; agency flags funding limits
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Summary
DHS told the Committee on Human Service the FY26 budget adds 460 new family DC Flex slots and 75 slots to be allocated between single adults and youth. Agency officials said the slots are administered through providers and could be scaled further if additional funding were available; they described per-household subsidy and administrative costs.
At the June 12 Committee on Human Service hearing, Department of Human Services officials described the DC Flex expansion planned in the FY26 budget: 460 new slots for families and 75 additional slots to be distributed between single adults and youth.
Interim Director Rachel Pierre said the 75 single-and-youth slots are budgeted in the families continuum because the program is administered by a single provider. “We have in fiscal year 26, we have 460 new DHS family slots, but it's 75 slots for which will be distributed between singles and youth,” she said.
Officials said administration runs through contracted providers; DHS reported it has one manager/analyst and a supervisor overseeing the program inside the agency and that providers typically maintain 10–12 staff to deliver the benefit and case management. Mortensen said providers receive an administrative fee: the subsidy maximum to households is “up to $8,400 a year,” and DHS’s materials listed a total per-household cost of $9,660, with $1,260 allocated to providers to cover administration.
DHS officials told the committee the department could administer more DC Flex slots if additional funding were available. “If we had more slots available to us…we'd be able to administer them,” Pierre said. Committee members asked whether providers could scale to absorb more slots; DHS responded that providers indicated they could scale if funds were provided and procurement allowed.
DHS also described program rules: households can enroll without employment at intake but must be employed by recertification; the program can be used flexibly, including paying an informal family member’s rent if a household moves in with relatives.
Ending: The committee pressed DHS on administrative staffing and whether additional funding or staff would be required to scale further; DHS committed to follow up with contract-level budget splits for rent versus case-management funds.
