Davis County commissioners weigh reorganizing community services to better manage homelessness and housing programs

Davis County commissioners discussed proposals to reorganize the county’s community and human services operations at a June 3 work session, focusing on the county’s response to homelessness, housing preservation and the administration of federal grants.

County staff told commissioners that homelessness coordination currently sits in Community and Economic Development (CED) largely because of earlier legislative work and existing staffing, but that recent 2023 changes to state law expanded administrative obligations and created sustained workload. Staff described a task force recommendation to pursue a year‑round response by facilitating roughly 40 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) at Station Park as part of a larger, mixed‑income project.

Officials outlined the grant landscape that supports housing and services work: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding of about $950,000 annually, HOME program funds tied to the county’s consortium status (about $500,000 annually under current estimates), a Social Services Block Grant (about $100,000 from the state), and competitive Continuum of Care (COC) funding. Staff said a COC Builds grant for the Station Park concept is on the commission agenda and carries a required local match of $1,250,000; HOME and CDBG funds could be used as match.

Commissioners and staff flagged administrative constraints and compliance responsibilities. County staff monitor subrecipients annually to satisfy HUD rules and noted that much of the program administration has fallen on a small group of employees; commissioners said that additional staffing or reclassification may be needed to sustain program delivery. Commissioners asked county staff to produce a concrete, costed recommendation that explains how functions could be reorganized, what positions or reclassifications would be required, and what the budget implications would be ahead of the coming budget cycle.

Staff also highlighted Davis Links, a resource‑locator developed with ARPA/COVID dollars that lists roughly 1,500 county services and which the county plans to make available to providers now and to the public later this year; staff described a future phase with in‑person access points for populations with limited internet access.

The discussion covered preservation of existing affordable housing as well: staff estimated about 1,400 affordable units across roughly 25 developments are at risk of losing affordability when tax‑credit terms expire, and commissioners urged planning to preserve and resyndicate at‑risk projects.

Next steps: commissioners asked a small group of staff to return with organizational options, statutory clarifications for boards and authorities (for example, the county’s role with the Davis Community Housing Authority and the variation in statutory vs. advisory boards), and costed staffing proposals for consideration in the next budget cycle.