County staff told the committee that two federal lawsuits have enjoined HUD’s recent notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), temporarily preserving the previous funding rules that support permanent supportive housing.

"Notice the funding opportunity had come out that was drastically different...and it was asking communities to basically completely veer away from the permanent supportive housing model," said Lydia (Liddy), who updated the committee on Continuum of Care developments. She said two lawsuits — including a District Court of Rhode Island injunction — have put the new NOFO on hold and that HUD’s subsequent NOFO was also enjoined.

Lydia told legislators that HUD has been asked to revert to the 2024 rules and to fund reallocation for existing permanent supportive housing programs, which would protect projects such as Chartwell House and Magnolia House in the near term. She said award decisions are expected in May and that Tompkins County is unlikely to face an immediate funding gap for 2025–2027, but warned staff and partners should prepare contingency plans for the 2026 NOFO cycle and a potential wind‑down date in October 2028 under a worst‑case scenario.

Shelter operations staff also reported current usage: Britney said the code‑blue shelter averaged 41 individuals per night (37 the previous night), with a high of 55; the shelter currently has four families (15 people) and 35 adults in shelter, and 25 families and 13 adults have been moved into permanent housing since the prior update.

Lydia recommended targeted contingency planning that broadens partners beyond the traditional homeless response system — for example, linking criminal justice, probation, parole and law‑enforcement partners — because parts of HUD’s proposed policy could affect eligibility for assistance. Legislators asked Lydia to prepare a timeline visual showing NOFO application windows, award periods and funding run‑through periods to improve committee understanding and contingency planning.

No formal vote was taken on HUD matters during the meeting.