Shelter Alliance tells Kent County commissioners unhoused population of students and families has risen sharply; asks for year‑round shelter and stronger case‑m

Kim Rose Goodall, executive director of the Shelter Alliance, and case manager Hynette Christie told the Kent County commissioners on May 19 that local and school‑reported data show homelessness in the county is rising and that coordinated case management and modest emergency shelter capacity are needed.

Goodall said the county’s McKinney‑Vento numbers show 126 students identified as unhoused out of 1,590 enrolled — about 7.92% — making Kent County second in Maryland behind Baltimore City on that measure. "We see that there's a stable increase, in fact, a 110% increase from 2021 to now," Goodall said, attributing the long‑term trend to pandemic effects and more recent increases in housing instability.

Christie described the Shelter Alliance’s programs and client stories to illustrate needs. "I had the opportunity to work with two individuals who were residing at the shelter at the time ... both were 71 and 72 and had no family support," Christie said, describing placements in transitional housing and enrollment on senior housing wait lists. She added the Alliance provided 322.5 bed nights and over 400 hours of case management since 2024 and has helped six individuals secure stable housing during the last year.

The presenters outlined three service streams the Alliance runs: emergency shelter placements (temporary motel placements while year‑round shelter capacity is developed), rapid rehousing (security deposit/first‑month assistance), and case management (benefits coordination, landlord engagement and housing placement support). Goodall said an Alliance analysis suggests a year‑round shelter sized between 25 and 30 beds would meet county capacity constraints; "Anything greater than 30 would be significant for the capacity of our county," she said.

Goodall and Christie urged coordination with regional partners, including the Mid‑Shore Behavioral Health Organization and multiple nonprofits, and invited commissioners and the public to a community meeting on May 21 to review data and proposed models. The presentation emphasized that many individuals the Alliance documents are "hidden homeless" (doubled‑up or couch‑surfing) and do not immediately require emergency motel placements but do need case management and longer‑term stabilization.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about meeting location, Shelter Alliance governance and partnerships; Goodall said the Alliance is a board‑governed nonprofit and stressed that any collaboration would follow standard governance practices and state policy requirements. The commissioners thanked the presenters and encouraged continued coordination as the Alliance develops its recommendations.

Next steps: Shelter Alliance invited the public and commissioners to a May 21 community meeting at Christ First United Methodist Church to review detailed slides, and the presenters indicated they would bring further analysis of a proposed year‑round shelter and related case‑management costs to the board in a future meeting.