Kids department asks for funds to cover Hope Center rate increase, SRAP case management as homelessness pressures rise

Steve Eatman, presenting the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families’ FY27 operating request, told the Joint Finance Committee the department seeks $487,200 to cover a contractual rate increase at the Hope Center and $37,128 to pay mandatory case-management services tied to recently added State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP) vouchers.

The department said the SRAP vouchers are intended to provide two years of rental stability for families involved with the department. "DFS currently has access to 60 SRAP vouchers," the presentation said; with 17 added at the end of FY25, the department can rotate vouchers as families exit permanent housing. The department requested $524,300 labeled as a housing support initiative that covers both the Hope Center rate change and voucher-related case management.

Committee members pressed for detail. One lawmaker asked why the two items were combined; OMB staff said the money was submitted as a conceptual housing-support package that included both the Hope Center daily rate and the voucher‑related case management. A budget staffer later confirmed the Hope Center per‑night contribution paid by referring agencies is moving toward $100 a night, up from about $50 previously.

The department also described a discretionary 1% operating request (not recommended in the governor’s budget) for a "no eject, no reject" shelter at the Stokely campus intended to provide short‑term congregate care for older teens with complex needs. Department officials said construction is on a bond track and that the discretionary request was intended to anticipate future programming costs once construction is complete. "This was more to get it on the radar of what the programming costs will be once the construction is complete and it is fully operational and functional," a department presenter said.

Eatman highlighted how housing instability drives child welfare involvement: the department cited a Housing Alliance Delaware report that on any given night 1,585 people are homeless statewide and said families account for roughly 19% of those counts. The department presented data showing the Hope Center served 117 families in calendar year 2025 and that an average of 28 DFS‑involved families per month used temporary housing and case management.

Officials also sought $1.6 million in ASF authority to finish a multi‑year migration of the department’s legacy case management system into a modern platform and nearly $23,300 to expand building automation services (cameras and door access) at residential facilities. Separately, they told the committee DSCYF faces persistent recruitment challenges: the department reported an average of about 220 vacancies per month in 2025—roughly 17% of budgeted positions—and outlined recruitment incentives used to fill frontline roles.

The committee asked the department to provide a clearer timeline and total state contribution to the Hope Center, and to return with additional detail on the Stokely campus schedule and operating costs. Public‑comment witnesses—nonprofit providers and prevention program leaders—urged continued investment in targeted prevention grants and community providers that partner with the department.

Next steps: staff said they will supply requested clarifications on the Hope Center reimbursement, the SRAP voucher count, and the Stokely project timeline for committee review before final budget decisions.