Washtenaw County shelter providers say $1.33 million helped winter operations but warn of shortfalls and capacity limits ahead

County commissioners heard a detailed winter-sheltering update from local Continuum of Care partners who said $1,330,000 allocated last fall was largely spent on staffing, hotel stays and direct assistance and helped sustain operations through the cold months. "We're here to share the impact of the $1,300,000 that you said you allocated for winter sheltering," a presenter said as the panel opened.

Panelists walked the board through line-item distributions: Shelter Association of Washtenaw County received $215,000 for staff and site support plus $7,500 for hotel stays; Ozone House received $7,500 for young-adult hoteling; SOS Community Services received $120,000 for rapid-rehousing case management; Alpha House received $280,000 for staffing and site support; Barrier Busters direct-assistance totaled $566,667; and a 5% administration fee ($28,333) was recorded. The Housing Access for Washtenaw County call line averaged 128 calls per day during the period.

Shelter operators reported high usage and rising needs. "The shelter system saw 882 unduplicated individuals during the winter months, with an average of 176 individuals per night," one presenter said, adding a peak census of 242 on March 24. Shelter Association executive director Nicole Adleman told commissioners that approximately 30% of clients this winter were from outside Washtenaw County and that exits to permanent housing remained limited, which lengthened stays in the system: "Exits to permanent housing during the winter months were low because there isn't enough permanent housing," she said.

Speakers also described a growing number of older adults among unhoused individuals and stress on shelter infrastructure. Adleman said the Delano Center — a major winter site — will have to reduce capacity after a fire-marshall review established a lower allowable sleeping-space number. "We're going to need some significant support," she said, explaining the difference between seating capacity for dining and safe sleeping capacity and the county-level work needed to find alternatives.

Commissioners pressed for programmatic and budgeting changes. Commissioner Somerville urged exploring local general-fund allocations that would not be restricted by federal rules governing some eviction-prevention dollars, noting the current Barrier Busters cap of $3,000 and once-per-year limits. "If we put more money from our general fund into this service, we will prevent evictions and save money overall," Somerville said. Staff replied that the program follows federal requirements and that reporting did not separate local from federal sources in the figures presented.

Panelists described operational practices aimed at connecting people with services and, when appropriate, with confirmed relocation options in other counties. They also flagged programmatic trade-offs: some agencies said they have reduced program staff and shifted to prioritize shelter-bed availability, and several said they had had to lay off staff in past funding cycles. The panel asked the board to consider a mix of near-term operational funding and longer-term options, including shared winter space or acquisition of vacant facilities to expand capacity.

The board did not take a vote on funding during the working session but several commissioners signaled support for continuing the conversation and for exploring options to identify more shelter capacity ahead of next winter.