The county received $1.7 million from the state last year to deal with various aspects of homelessnes, according to figures provided by county Public Health Director Joan Brewster. The money was divided between various organizations around the Harbor for services that include rental assistance, re-housing of families that have recently fallen homeless and operating expenses for shelters in the area.
Brewster added that county funds no longer provide cash assistance, though the state Department of Social and Health Services’ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program does provide temporary cash.
The $1.7 million, as in previous years, was allocated by the Legislature, then broken down by the county and given to local organizations to spend on their own programs, Brewster said. The Coastal Community Action Program received the largest payout of state funds last year, amounting to more than $1.5 million. Nearly $1.8 million comes from the state’s Housing and Essential Needs fund, which pays for rental and utility assistance, and essential non-cash needs. Eligibility for funding is determined by the state Department of Social and Health Services.
CCAP also receives an additional $340,000 from the Consolidated Homeless Grant, designed to prevent homelessness and quickly re-house families that end up homeless.
The rates for those funds are determined by the Legislature, said CCAP CEO Craig Dublanko, with Grays Harbor getting more than other areas throughout the state.
The county also provides funding that comes from a surcharge on documents recorded with the the county auditor. That helps to cover the required dollar-for-dollar match to state funds. The state imposed the fund in all counties 2002 as a way for local entities to help fund low-income housing.
After covering the match requirement, Brewster said, the county is breaking even at best.
“We’re not making any money, we’re not growing the size of that account,” Brewster said. “I wish we were, because that would make it easier for us to expand programs.”
Dublanko agreed, adding that the money wasn’t sitting in a county account, not being used.
“Hundreds of families are being helped every year because of it,” he said.
The discussion comes in the wake of a struggle between the city of Aberdeen and dozens of homeless people camping on private property along the Chehalis River, sparked by the city’s order last month to vacate the area. The city has since decided not to enforce the notice to vacate, but plans to trespass the campers later this month at the behest of the property owners, said Mayor Bill Simpson.
Amid the conflict, questions have been raised about homelessness services in the area, many questioning the city’s role in administering funding for such work. Though many officials — both city and county — have said no funds from the city are specifically aimed at providing homeless services, the county draws from a number of state pots of money.
Still, the county is considering other resources to tap for additional funding.
“What we currently have won’t meet our need,” said Vera Kalkwarf, social services manager for Grays Harbor Public Health and Social Services. “There are other strands of funding that we are researching to see what we can bring into this community to help increase the number of resources that can support our needs.”
County public health officials are also in the process of developing a 10-year plan to address homelessness, which includes totally reworking the plan that was put in place in 2005. In past years, Dublanko said, a similar plan was outlined by a committee that saw some county representation. The last 10-year plan, developed in 2005 and updated in 2010, was mandated by the state.
“What we intend to do is look at what are the best practices going on in other communities: ‘Where’s housing working and well?” Brewster said, adding that the county plans to take trips to various municipalities around the state that have effectively addressed homelessness in their own areas.
Brewster said the county hopes to have a “pretty clear idea” of the questions that need to be answered regarding housing on the Harbor sometime this fall. She added that she recognized some of the barriers that would come with developing the plan, including figuring out what people want or need, and what other programs can actually offer.
“It’s a broad range of humanity that we’re really talking about, not one category of person,” Brewster said. “We have a lot of learning to do to understand what makes some kind of housing acceptable for a person and for other people not.”
Some are optimistic about the future of addressing homelessness in the area.
“I think this will be, by far, our best-ever homeless plan,” Dublanko said. “I think it’s going to be something the community can be proud of, and I think it’ll be something that will actually be a working tool rather than just a check-box for the state because it was a requirement.”
Kyle Mittan, 360-537-3932, kmittan@thedailyworld.com. Twitter: @KyleMittan
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