Health and Human Services staff told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners the county will hold a public hearing Dec. 16 to review the local homeless housing plan, a state‑required document. "We have a hearing we're scheduling to review our local homeless housing plan. That's a requirement of the state," the HHS speaker said.

Staff also asked commissioners to schedule a workshop with Community House on Broadway to follow up on a funding request submitted during consideration of the consolidated homeless grant (CHG). The request may include renovation costs, which staff said may be ineligible for CHG and instead could be requested as document recording fee (DRF) support.

HHS presented a snapshot of available DRF and CHG resources: staff said the beginning fund balance for DRF was about $1.9 million in 2025 with an anticipated year‑end balance near $1.4 million, noting larger projects (Habitat, Catlin & Main) will carry forward into 2026 unless contracts are extended. The HHS speaker said some coordinated entry contracts will be transitioned onto the CHG funding cycle and suggested a six‑month amendment to align expiration dates to 06/30/2026.

On behavioral health and criminal justice treatment funding, staff summarized a state Criminal Justice Treatment Account contract totaling roughly $590,000 for a two‑year period (July 1–June 30, 2027) to serve justice‑involved individuals with substance use disorders and said Columbia Wellness and Cowlitz Family Health Center are current providers.

Why it matters: the hearing and the contract alignments shape how the county deploys federal, state and locally collected funds to shelter, prevention and supportive services. Staff repeatedly noted eligibility rules matter (e.g., renovation costs vs. shelter operations) and flagged the need for continued coordination with providers.

Next steps: commissioners will take up the plan at the Dec. 16 hearing; HHS will bring contract amendments and workshop materials (Community House) to the board for further action.