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Residents and service providers urge council to preserve CO-LEAD, LEAD and $21 million in rental-assistance funding
Summary
Dozens of public commenters—including program participants, nonprofit leaders and housing developers—urged the Select Budget Committee to preserve funding for CO-LEAD and LEAD services, expand tenant-based rental assistance to about $21 million, and protect shelter capacity as winter approaches.
Dozens of residents and nonprofit representatives told the Select Budget Committee on Oct. 7 that maintaining and expanding funding for homelessness response programs must be a top priority in the 2026 budget.
Nicole Alexander, director of outreach and special initiatives with CO-LEAD at Purpose Dignity Action, asked the council to "continue to fund CO-LEAD and continue to fund what works," describing the program's outreach, lodging and aftercare continuum that moves people from encampments into shelter and longer-term housing.
CO-LEAD staff and participants offered multiple firsthand accounts. Denise Perez Lolly, Co-Program Director for CO-LEAD, described the program as "a 3 phase program" providing 24-hour coordinated care, intensive case management, on-site medical coordination and assistance navigating the legal system; she said one recently housed participant received on-site medical treatment that would not have been available otherwise. Brent Donner, a recent CO-LEAD graduate, credited transitional housing with helping him achieve sobriety, enroll in college and secure an apartment.
Nonprofit housing providers and developers urged the committee to prioritize tenant-based rental assistance. Callissa Eversman of the Low Income Housing Institute asked the council to "please prioritize $21,000,000 for tenant based rental assistance," including a recommendation to dedicate $10,000,000 to the Office of Housing to stabilize provider portfolios. Kara Williams (LIHI) and Nathan Brown (LIHI) reiterated multi-organization appeals for about $21 million in direct rental assistance to prevent evictions and reduce arrears.
Advocates also asked the council to protect related supports during budget cuts: Gerald Murphy, a volunteer coordinator with OS Health Serves, and Jason Austin of the Meals Partnership Coalition urged additional funding for meal programs that serve thousands daily. Several faith leaders and Church Council representatives framed the budget as a "moral document" and called for investments in housing, mental health care and wraparound services rather than expanded surveillance or policing budgets.
The committee did not take formal action on these requests during the hearing. Chair Dan Strauss reminded the room that the committee will vote on a public-safety sales-tax proposal the following day and that public comment will be taken at the beginning of each budget section going forward. The hearing closed after all registered speakers had given one-minute testimonies (three minutes for grouped speakers).
