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Northeastern Center tells DeKalb commissioners it’s operating at a loss as crisis services grow
Summary
Steve Howell of Northeastern Center told commissioners the center served 1,202 DeKalb residents in FY2025 and is running at a multi‑percent loss; crisis services and mobile responses have risen, and nonessential programs could be cut if finances do not improve.
Steve Howell, representing Northeastern Center, told the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners that the community mental health center is serving more county residents while operating at a budgetary loss that threatens nonessential programs.
Howell said Northeastern Center served 1,202 DeKalb County residents in fiscal year 2025, including 199 youth, and detailed growing use of crisis services: the NEC Cares 23‑hour crisis receiving unit had 719 admissions in FY2025 and 977 admissions through January of the current fiscal year. The center’s mobile crisis team on‑site responses have increased as well.
"Thus far through January of our current fiscal year, we're operating at about a 12% loss," Howell said, noting challenge areas include rising salary and benefit costs that account for about 80% of expenses.
Howell said the center’s charitable care in DeKalb County totaled roughly $2.1 million last fiscal year and that county funding helps subsidize services that operate at a deficit. He warned that if revenue and reimbursement do not improve, Northeastern Center may cut nonessential services to preserve its core, statutorily required continuum of care.
Commissioners thanked Howell and asked follow‑up questions about demand, staffing and what service reductions might look like. No formal action was taken; Howell offered to provide the county further detail on the report and statistics on request.
Article provenance: presentation and Q&A on Northeastern Center’s DeKalb County report and service statistics.
