Polk County officials outline social-services work, warn some programs need sustained funding

Polk County Board of Commissioners on June 2 received an update from Family & Community Outreach staff on the department’s emergency-assistance, case management and community-training work.

Department program manager Stephanie Gilbert told the board the county resource center has served 485 households since July 1 and has provided about $595,000 in one-time assistance for rent, deposits and utilities. She said the resource center’s funding this fiscal year is about $600,000 and that staff rely on partners including the Oregon Department of Human Services (Family Preservation Act funding), Community Action Agency eviction-prevention dollars and a $10,000 City of Monmouth utility fund that staff said is slated to double next year.

The update described several program streams. Gilbert and colleagues summarized a long-running navigator contract that provides intensive case management for families involved with or at risk of child-welfare intervention; that navigator work focuses on housing stability, employment and reunification supports. Staff also described the Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) program, launched November 2024 under an Oregon Health Authority arrangement. FCO staff said the county provided about $1.2 million in rent and utility support through HRSN this fiscal year, and the department billed roughly $36,000 for staff time this year under the program.

HRSN, staff cautioned, is time-limited by program rules: it pays up to six months of benefits for eligible households, and staff said they still see families who continue to need help after the six-month window. The department also noted a state Medicaid waiver that supports the current benefit structure "ends in October of next year," and said it is monitoring state decisions and preparing transition plans if the waiver is not continued.

Officials described housing-focused prevention work that aims to increase landlords’ willingness to rent to households exiting homelessness. Staff said they’ve run quarterly landlord luncheons, and have offered Rentwell, a 12-session tenant curriculum that covers tenant and landlord rights, background checks and rental readiness. County staff said landlords reported Rentwell certificates increase housing prospects; the program ties to a state protection that can reimburse a landlord up to $5,000 for damages or unpaid rent if a Rentwell tenant leaves within 12 months.

Veteran services and workforce supports were included in the update. Staff reported veteran services officer Joe Bell has completed probation and integrated veteran assistance into the resource center; Bell is planning workshops on commonly asked benefits and a federal work-study placement for veteran students at Western Oregon University.

The board pressed staff on funding. Department leaders said the FCO unit’s budgeted reliance on the county general fund for next year is zero; the department’s annual operating budget is approximately $6 million, funded by grants, contracts and partner allocations rather than direct general-fund transfers.

The department asked the board to note that several effective supports are driven by contractual partnerships and grant streams; staff urged planning to sustain navigator and HRSN-style case management if state or partner funds change. The board took no new formal funding action at the meeting.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the meeting agenda and the May 26, 2026 minutes by voice vote.