Continuum of Care report: point‑in‑time count steady; CoC NOFO expected to shift priorities

Liddy Barger, representing the Continuum of Care, reported to the Tompkins County Health and Human Services Committee that the community’s Jan. 29, 2026 point‑in‑time count recorded 170 unique individuals experiencing homelessness, a figure very similar to last year’s count. Barger said the night count included 120 people in emergency shelter and 20 in transitional housing and identified population details such as 11 families (15 minor children), three adult veteran households plus one veteran family with four children, 42 people with serious mental illness, 19 with substance use disorder, and 15 people fleeing domestic violence.

Barger told legislators the CoC’s upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunity, expected to be announced June 1, will look different than prior years and is likely to prioritize different project types. She warned the community should plan for a reduction in permanent supportive housing funding and convene a work group to reset priorities and identify projects that best fit the new criteria.

In response to a question from Christy, Barger disputed a prior claim that the county was experiencing a 25% year‑over‑year increase in homelessness, saying the data submitted to HUD show a slight decrease (she said roughly a 12% reduction since 2022) rather than a 25% increase. Barger said the data show more inflow than outflow this year, producing bottlenecks that complicate service delivery despite the overall small decline in the total count.

Legislators and staff discussed follow‑up: Barger said a work group is forming to evaluate materials and realign projects for the upcoming NOFO.

The committee did not take a formal vote on CoC strategy; the update was informational.