Douglas County updates 'A Place for Everyone' plan; highlights 221 funded units, outreach gains and data improvements

Douglas County commissioners received an update on "A Place for Everyone," the county’s multi-agency homelessness response plan, during a work session on Feb. 12, 2026. Presenters summarized progress on supportive housing projects, data improvements, outreach and mobile health services, and identified remaining funding and service gaps.

The update said 221 housing units have funding committed for 2023–2026, including a 17-unit addition projected in 2026, with capital support coming from CARES Act, ARPA and county decisions. "That most recent addition is the plus 17 in 2026," Jill Jolicker said while reviewing committed units. She told commissioners the flexible housing pool now totals 32 units.

Presenters described work to translate needs assessments into strategies. The plan draws on two commissioned assessments — one from the KU Center for Public Partnerships and Research and another from the Corporation for Supportive Housing — and a coalition convened in 2021. Jill Jolicker emphasized that the plan is "very much a living document" and said partners return frequently to realign goals as new data and resources become available.

Data and system changes were front and center. Sarah, the county-funded regional coordinator for the Kansas Statewide Homeless…