Douglas County: flexible housing pool shows early reductions in emergency service use

Douglas County officials and program partners told commissioners on June 3 that the county’s Flexible Housing Pool (FHP) — a locally funded alternative to slow, restrictive HUD permanent supportive housing — has produced early signs of reduced emergency-system use for people with chronic homelessness.

Kristen, a county presenter on the program, said FHPs “fill the gap that PSH cannot fill because HUD is slow and rigid,” and described a model that combines flexible rental subsidies with dedicated support staff and landlord engagement. The county launched the local program in March 2025 and has integrated an existing HUD-funded supportive housing project into the FHP.

Why it matters: The program targets people who are chronically homeless or have high barriers to traditional vouchers and who are willing to engage with services. Staff said the approach shortens time-to-housing, builds rental history through vouchers when possible and uses master leases when landlords decline tenants.

“We’ve doubled the number of landlords we have willing to work with us,” Monica Casares, service coordinator with the DC Flex program, said of recent recruitment, noting the importance of trauma-informed landlords for stability.

Data and caveats: Ani Nula, Douglas County data analyst, said she reviewed 24 participants (18 currently housed) with housing dates from March 2024 to May 2026. In a conservative 10-person cohort limited to clients with at least nine months of post-housing history, seven of 10 used fewer emergency services after being housed. “Ten out of 18 have nine plus months of posthousing data and they show an overall reduction of 59% in emergency contacts,” Anie said, while noting limits: the sample is small, windows of pre- and post-data vary, and the analysis lacks a formal control group.

Staff also flagged missing cost inputs: Anie did not have updated ambulance/EMS cost figures in time for the briefing and recommended adding fire/EMS estimates and court data in future analyses.

Budget and scale: Staff said the program is currently serving 18 households, is funded for 32, and that the county’s budgeted per-household figure for 32 households is $28,781. County staff said master leases and county funds are used when needed to secure housing placements.

Unresolved and next steps: Presenters asked for commissioner guidance on the next analytic steps and agreed to gather more complete EMS cost data, run a case review for an outlier client with ongoing jail bookings, and continue partner coordination (including a planned June 24 conversation about crisis-system gaps). Commissioners encouraged staff to include LMH emergency-department data and to produce per-client, per-month cost and savings figures as the cohort grows.

The work session recessed for the 5:30 p.m. business meeting; staff said they will return with additional data and updates as the program matures.