EDMO/UDMO reports $461,137 in county aid and asks Humboldt County for $15,000

Julie Edwards, executive director of EDMO (referred to in some parts of the transcript as UDMO), told the Humboldt County board that the agency delivered $461,137 in direct assistance to county residents in the 12‑month period ending Sept. 2025 and asked the county to raise its annual contribution from $12,000 to $15,000.

Edwards said the agency switched to two intake systems during the year and that staff had to do dual entry, which produced duplicated counts in prior reports. "We did get a new data system... we got 2 at the same time," she said, and added staff have been working nights and weekends to reconcile the records. As a result, she characterized the most recent figures as improved unduplicated counts.

The presentation listed program and household details: Edwards reported roughly 473 households used the agency’s services this past year, about 213 households received emergency energy assistance (LIHEAP‑type support), eight households accessed housing stabilization deposits or short rent assistance, and about 12 households received weatherization. She summarized program dollar distributions as reported in the handout: approximately $175,600 in outreach assistance, $145,400 for energy, nearly $21,000 for housing supports and about $119,000 for weatherization, totaling $461,137. Edwards said these are agency figures for clients who walked through their doors and therefore do not represent county‑wide prevalence.

Edwards gave a demographic snapshot of the agency’s clients: 36% were children (0–17), 42% were ages 18–59 (of whom 35% were working), 22% were 60 or older, 25% reported veteran or active military status, and 25% reported a disability. She also said 42% of client households own their homes — a figure she said was higher than in most counties the agency serves — and observed that homeownership helps explain the higher weatherization numbers.

On federal funding and contingency planning, Edwards said the agency had planned for the recent government shutdown and that Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) dollars pay for staff and facilities used in outreach offices. She said UDMO/EDMO had funds to operate through December during the shutdown and had made strategic staffing adjustments to keep county outreach offices open; in Humboldt County she credited the partnership with the local food bank for allowing a four‑day weekly presence. "Those partnerships that go a little deeper do get priority in our strategic planning," she said.

Edwards also said the agency is considering purchasing a building in Webster County, where demand is highest, and that the agency is expanding staff in that location.

The presentation closed with Edwards inviting board members to contact the agency or stop by the office with follow‑up questions.

The board did not take a formal vote on the funding request during this meeting; Edwards' request for $15,000 was recorded in her presentation materials and discussed by supervisors.