Council hears evaluation of regional homeless system, staff announces Clutch engagement to update Boulder’s 2017 strategy

Boulder City Council members received a multi‑part update Feb. 13 on homelessness trends, program outcomes and a planned strategy update that city staff said will use system modeling to prioritize investments and implementation steps.

City Manager Nuria Rivera Vandermeid introduced the item and said the discussion must consider the broader regional system alongside local programs. Kurt Fernhaver, director of Housing and Human Services, summarized program milestones since the city’s 2017 strategy: more than 2,000 people have exited homelessness through city‑funded or -partner programs since that strategy began; a local voucher program and diversion services helped people avoid homelessness; and recent permanent supportive housing projects (Bluebird and Zinnia) added capacity.

Megan Newton, policy adviser on homelessness, presented recent trends and program activity. Key data discussed included: - 264 people exited homelessness in 2024, a slight decline from earlier years but a higher exit rate relative to entries compared with some prior years. - Shelter demand rose in 2024; percentage of nights with capacity turnaways peaked in November (about 80–83% of nights), and average nightly turnaways followed a similar seasonal pattern. - The city opened an extreme‑weather overflow shelter in January that served 90 unique individuals over three nights at a cost of $31,326 and about 884 personnel hours. - The newly opened day services center (opened about nine months before the meeting) recorded thousands of visits, hosts about 15 partner agencies and has 30 state housing vouchers tied to the site; staff said 85% of center clients also connected to partner programs.

Newton and colleagues also discussed a Building Home program funded by ARPA dollars that provides peer support and housing retention services; staff reported an 88% retention rate for 2024 and a 94% retention rate over two years. Staff cautioned that ARPA funding supporting some retention services will expire in 2025–2026 and that fewer new resources were expected in 2025.

Carl Castillo, chief policy adviser in the city manager’s office, summarized the high‑utilizer initiative focused on a small subgroup of people whose repeated interactions with the criminal justice and emergency systems impose high costs and harms. He described a proposed phased program that staff estimate would cost roughly $1.7 million for an initial phase (a previously discussed full first‑year cost estimate had been about $5 million) and said staff are exploring philanthropic fundraising to fund the phase approach.

Elizabeth Crowe, deputy director of Housing and Human Services, provided program‑level financial context: the city allocated $450,000 to the “Keep Families House” prevention program in 2024, which the department reported served 624 unduplicated families that year. Staff and participants also noted a record demand for eviction‑prevention services in 2024 and the ongoing regional nature of the need, as many people served in Boulder arrive from elsewhere in the region.

An independent evaluation of the Homeless Systems Better Collaboratively (HSBC) by Public Policy Associates (presented by Meg Chamberlain) praised HSBC’s commitment to housing‑first and data‑driven work but identified gaps and opportunities: data systems are not fully integrated (notably Connex and HMIS), community climate and equity concerns were raised by people with lived experience, and governance and communication could be clarified. PPA recommended a continued focus on permanent supportive housing and housing retention services, cautious consideration of new shelter models (such as sanctioned encampments or tiny‑home villages, which can be costly), and a strengthened governance model, including clearer roles and dispute‑resolution mechanisms.

Council members asked staff and consultants for more program‑level, quantitative performance data and for scenarios tied to likely budget constraints. Council members expressed concern about the impending expiration of ARPA funding and asked how the city and the regional collaborative would prioritize investments in supportive services and permanent supportive housing given funding limits and policy constraints. Several council members also raised concerns about public safety and conditions in shared public spaces; voices on council differed on whether a public‑education campaign or stronger enforcement and service capacity would best address community concerns.

Assistant City Manager Mark Wolf introduced Clutch Consulting, which the city has engaged to lead a system‑modeling approach and produce an updated homelessness strategy and implementation plan. Mandy Chapman of Clutch described a timeline that begins with document review and data gathering, proceeds through stakeholder design sessions and system modeling (Feb.–Apr.), and advances to strategy framing, feasibility testing and implementation planning (May–July). Clutch said the work will include providers, local government partners (including the county), and people with lived experience, and will use modeling to test scenarios and prioritize high‑impact investments and sequencing.

Council feedback and next steps: council members generally welcomed the evaluation and Clutch’s modeling approach but repeatedly requested more quantitative program and performance data before major budget decisions. Staff said they would circulate a 2024 report with more program outcomes and asked council for feedback on what additional performance metrics they would like. Clutch and staff advised that some deliverables would be timed to inform 2026 budget decisions (Clutch’s June–July feasibility work would come after the earliest 2026 budgeting steps), and that staff will bring forward implementation options and phased scenarios for council consideration.

Kurt Fernhaver closed by saying staff will circulate the recent data package and seek council feedback; the session ended with council members reiterating the need for clear goals, funding scenarios, robust quantitative performance data and continued regional coordination.