HPC recommends pathway to pay people with lived experience but funding, RFP needed

The Homelessness Planning Council’s executive committee recommended a legal and administrative pathway to restore compensation for people with lived experience who serve on the CAB (consumer advisory board). The proposal would establish the CAB as a standing committee of the HPC and then contract with a local nonprofit that does not receive CoC funding to act as the fiduciary for payments and administrative oversight.

The chair described the recommendation as a way to preserve CAB participation while addressing the unintended consequence that occurred after a change in the collaborative applicant prevented earlier compensation flows. The executive committee emphasized that charter language and feedback loops would need revision to protect CAB voice and participation if fiduciary and structural changes occur.

A staff member said the work was previously scoped and estimated at about $35,000 based on the then-current number of members, hours and the scope of work; the staff speaker also said that funding is not yet in hand. If funding becomes available, the next steps would include issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for a fiscal sponsor, and bringing a formal recommendation back to the HPC.

Council members raised concerns about whether compensated and uncompensated advisory bodies could create a two-tiered system and discussed whether some CAB members might continue to participate without compensation. The executive committee agreed that any structural change should preserve lived-experience feedback to the CoC and HPC.

No formal vote was taken on the recommendation at the meeting; the executive committee will return to the HPC with proposed charter language and, if funds are secured, an RFP and implementation timeline.