Visiting expert urges treatment‑centered approach as county examines homelessness responses

Dr. Robert Marbut gave a historical and policy overview of homelessness funding and interventions and urged Mendocino County to prioritize treatment‑centered, accountable approaches for street‑level homelessness.

Marbut traced national trends back to earlier, more balanced funding (roughly equal shares for emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing) and said that a policy shift beginning with 2013 federal NOFOs redirected money toward vouchers while reducing funding for wraparound services and treatment. He argued that the consequence has been a rapid increase in unsheltered homelessness and that more recent drug‑supply changes—especially fentanyl—have driven rising overdose death rates among people experiencing homelessness.

Marbut recommended a strategy centered on treatment and recovery programs that produce durable outcomes rather than counting how quickly people receive housing vouchers. He referenced high‑performing programs that combine intensive behavioral health components with structured, multi‑hour weekly activity (including job training and education) and described an approach that builds a stable pipeline: identify an achievable treatment capacity, maintain quality high success rates, and ensure outreach prepares a steady flow of candidates for openings.

Supervisors and presenters discussed the tension between outreach‑first/low‑barrier approaches and programs that require participation or treatment components; Marbut emphasized the need to balance compassion with accountability and to sequence investments so a limited treatment capacity is effective and sustainable.

Board members asked how the county can adapt these approaches in a rural context with limited local jobs and housing; Marbut advised starting with a realistic, scalable treatment program and investing in pre‑work (hygiene, stabilization, job readiness) and outreach that prepares candidates for slots as they open, rather than attempting to serve an entire unsheltered population at once.