Clark County Council backs ECHO systems analysis; staff to seek up to $200,000 consultant RFP
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Summary
County staff presented an ECHO systems-analysis proposal to map and recommend fixes across systems that affect people experiencing homelessness; councilors signaled support for a joint, city-and-county-funded study and asked for actionable recommendations from the consultant.
Jordan, a county staff member, outlined a proposed ECHO (Ending Community Homelessness Organization) systems analysis that would be jointly funded by Clark County and participating cities and could include an RFP of up to $200,000 to hire an outside consultant.
"The RFP would be up to $200,000 to hire a consultant to conduct a systems analysis on sort of the systems outside of the direct homeless crisis response system," Jordan said, describing deliverables such as an ecosystem map, analysis of integration and funding alignment, and recommendations on data collection and policy changes.
Councilors emphasized that the analysis is intended to complement—rather than duplicate—existing dashboards produced by Council for the Homeless. One councilor noted that the council-for-homeless dashboards track program flow and HMIS data, while the ECHO study would diagnose cross-system gaps and suggest how jurisdictions could collaborate on solutions.
"This has been a long time coming, and I think it is an incredible opportunity to really examine and understand the system as a whole," Councilor Young said, urging that the final product include practical steps the county and cities could take.
Council members asked staff to ensure the consultant provides specific, actionable recommendations rather than only identifying gaps. Jordan said staff and ECHO expect the study to yield such recommendations and that any interlocal agreement and the draft RFP would return to council for final approval at a Tuesday meeting.
The council discussed funding and participation: staff said most cities that are part of ECHO had signaled initial support and that cost shares would be apportioned by population. The study does not mandate further action by the jurisdictions but is intended to provide evidence to guide coordinated policy and funding decisions.
Next steps: staff will draft an interlocal funding agreement and an RFP and return to the council for approval and possible agreement adoption.
