Item Description:
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Allocate $9,600,000 additional funding for the provision of family emergency shelter and services, 04/01/24-12/31/24; supp appr of $9,600,000 to the 2024 HSPH dept budget, authorize 14 FTEs
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners allocates $9,600,000 of funding to increase capacity for family emergency shelter and services during the period of April 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a supplemental appropriation of $9,600,000 to the 2024 Human Services and Public Health Budget is approved, that the 2024 budgeted use of fund balance in the Human Services and Public Health Budget is increased by $9,600,000, and that 14 FTE positions are added to the 2024 budget.
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Background:
Since 2005, Hennepin County has had a shelter-all policy for families with children. This policy is unique in the State of Minnesota. Only a handful of communities nationwide operate under similar policies.
Levels of family homelessness began increasing steeply following the end of pandemic-related federal rent assistance and the eviction moratorium in 2022. In addition, in late 2022 we also began seeing requests for temporary shelter from families newly arriving to Minnesota who lack the supports and infrastructure to move quickly into stable housing. In response, Hennepin County expanded contracted shelter and overflow sites through 2022 and 2023 to meet demand and fulfill the aforementioned policy.
To support these actions, on September 27, 2022, Board Resolution 22-0405 approved the expenditure of $3.5 million to address the needs of families seeking shelter in Hennepin County through March 31, 2023. On March 21, 2023, Board Resolution 23-0144 approved the expenditure of $17,228,900, and authorized the negotiation and execution of agreements, for this purpose through December 31, 2023.
As of the end of February 2024, our combined efforts are sheltering approximately 450 hou...
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