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Douglas County reallocates $46,000 from Bert Nash ACT funds to keep Lawrence homelessness response position funded
Summary
The commission approved a one-time reallocation of $46,000 from a $200,000 allocation for an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program at Bert Nash to cover a projected shortfall for a position on the Lawrence Homelessness Response Team; commissioners discussed ACT performance, pause on remaining funds and requested additional metrics.
Douglas County commissioners on Feb. 26 approved a one-time reallocation of $46,000 from funds the county had designated for an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to cover a projected shortfall for a position on the City of Lawrence Homelessness Response Team.
County assistant administrator Jill Jolicker told the commission staff had been monitoring the ACT program since it launched and that the program has not met the county's performance expectations. Jolicker said the requested $46,000 is one-time funding intended to maintain a homelessness-response position through the end of the current Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) term; she described $27,000 as the portion needed to carry that individual for the remainder of the grant period and said the employee will transition to a City of Lawrence role after the June grant term ends.
Jolicker said Bert Nash had invoiced the county $120,000 of the $200,000 allocated for ACT in 2024 and that the remaining ACT funds are currently on pause while the county and Bert Nash work through program performance and expectations. "An assertive community treatment team is a requirement of CCBHC," Jolicker said, noting the model's staffing and fidelity standards and the challenges community mental health centers have faced standing up ACT teams.
Commissioners debated the budget reallocation and asked that staff provide additional data. One commissioner asked for the actual 2024 costs of the ACT program, including staffing delivered and clients served; Jolicker and county staff said they will provide those metrics and noted the county has been working with Bert Nash on performance measures. The commission also heard from staff that the City of Lawrence intends to apply as grant holder for the next ESG term and plans to include long-term funding in its 2026 budget for the position.
Formal action and votes: the motion to reallocate $46,000 passed by roll call, 5-0 (mover recorded in meeting minutes as Commissioner Reed; second by Commissioner Kelly).
Context and implications: county staff framed the reallocation as part of an iterative approach to service agreements and community investments'shifting limited county funds toward services that demonstrate progress and where partners can sustain positions after one-time county assistance. Commissioners expressed support for staff's monitoring and requested specific program metrics to guide future funding decisions.
Ending: staff committed to providing the commission with detailed ACT program metrics from 2024 and to continue working with Bert Nash and the City of Lawrence on the position's funding transition.
