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San Marcos council affirms Human Services Advisory Board funding after heated public comments
Summary
After an hours-long public comment period in which local nonprofits and residents urged the council to honor the Human Services Advisory Board's recommendations, City Council approved a $550,000 human services grant allocation, with a previously adopted $10,000 reallocation noted during deliberations.
San Marcos City Council voted 7-0 to approve Resolution 2024-252R, allocating $550,000 in city general-fund human services grants as recommended by the Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB).
Dozens of residents and nonprofit representatives addressed the council during the citizen comment period, making a sustained public case for two organizations in particular: Home Center, a local case-management provider that serves people experiencing homelessness, and The Salvation Army San Marcos, which provides emergency assistance and shelter referrals. Several speakers criticized council members who considered changing HSAB's recommendations and urged the council to preserve the advisory board's role in vetting applications.
"If you take this money from the Salvation Army, what you're gonna do is the community is gonna look at it as you're taking this money to help one person's salary versus a minimum of 40 families that will be helped," said Neil Broussard, chairman of the board of The Salvation Army (San Marcos), during public comment. Lisa Cruz, manager for The Salvation Army San Marcos, told the council those funds "go directly to help the people in San Marcos that are in need."
Supporters of Home Center, including Hannah Durrance (who identified herself as a Home Center representative) and a roster of volunteers and clients, described the group's case-management work and its use of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). "Home Center has a proven track record working with clients in San Marcos," said Cori Schwartz, who said the group uses HMIS and has active cases in the system. James Summers, a volunteer, urged the council to emphasize case management: "One salaried caseworker can help between 20 to 40 people in any given month," he said.
Councilmembers and staff described the allocation as constrained by a fixed funding pool: Councilmember Gonzales noted the requests were roughly double the available dollars, and Councilmember Rodriguez and others urged following the HSAB process. Council members also discussed whether to shift smaller amounts among recipients; during an earlier meeting the council approved an amendment moving $10,000 from one recommendation to The Salvation Army, and council resumed discussion before voting on the final resolution.
The council approved the HSAB allocation 7-0. Council members said they will direct staff and HSAB to review the grant process and report back so the program can be strengthened for next funding cycles.
Ending: Council members said they planned additional review of the HSAB process and indicated staff will present recommendations on outreach and eligibility for the next funding year.
