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Douglas County approves MOU with Threshold Continuum of Care to formalize homeless outreach partnership
Summary
The county approved a memorandum of understanding with Threshold Continuum of Care and the sheriff’s office to formalize homeless outreach work; officials said the MOU has no direct county cost and may strengthen HUD funding applications amid federal changes.
The Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with Threshold Continuum of Care to formalize cooperation between law enforcement and homeless outreach services, a step officials said could strengthen future federal grants.
Spencer Head, executive communications coordinator for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, told the board the MOU would formalize work the sheriff’s office already does through a grant-funded homeless-outreach coordinator and would not create a fiscal obligation for the county. "There is no cost obligation to the county," Head said, adding that the memorandum mainly documents existing partnerships and referral processes.
Jason Feldhaus, executive director of Threshold COC, described recent changes in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s notice of funding opportunity. "Standard practice… we get about $7,100,000. This year the federal government has completely changed that allocation," Feldhaus said, summarizing that roughly 40% of prior funding will be noncompetitive while a larger portion will be competitive and that the community could pursue an additional roughly $2,000,000 in bonus funds if partnership criteria are met.
Commissioners discussed the potential for duplication of effort where city and county outreach overlap and emphasized the value of outreach-led responses versus enforcement where appropriate. Commissioner Borgeson said outreach should take the lead when possible but acknowledged safety exceptions where law enforcement involvement is warranted.
Public commenters included Larry Storer, who raised on-the-ground enforcement concerns at specific locations, and Brenda Finnigan of the Stevens Center, who described successful collaborative responses with the sheriff’s office and outreach partners. Commissioners asked for clearer data about numbers of people experiencing homelessness; Threshold representatives estimated the local service system serves about 6,500 people annually across the metro area, with approximately 5,200 within Douglas County and steady year-over-year growth in line with population trends.
The consent agenda containing the MOU (item B) passed as amended by the board, with the consent package approved 5–0.
