Leon County Commission to Consider $1.86 Million for Outside Agencies

On March 19th, the LCC will consider establishing the FY 2025 maximum discretionary funding levels for outside agencies including the Community Human Service Partnership (CHSP), dedicated homeless services, and special events.

Previously, on November 28, 2023, the Board held a workshop in which they were provided recommendations by staff to better position the County and the CHSP to address human service needs. The recommendations called for a realignment in the CHSP categories that would allow the Leon County Children’s Services (CSC) to take on all funding for children and family services so the CHSP could focus primarily on Human Services.

The realignment was not approved at this workshop. However, on January 23rd, the Board directed staff to work with the CSC and the City to develop a proposal to replicate and fund the CHSP process for children’s services through the CSC beginning in FY 2027 and to bring back an agenda item to consider the realignment of the CHSP categories.

Since the realignment was delayed per Board discussion, this item provides a one-time solution for Board consideration to use available American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the next two years until a new process with the CSC is developed for FY 2027.

To continue support for the Homeless Service category and the newly established line-item funding for emergency homeless shelters, staff recommends $834,000 for FY 2025 — FY 2026 in ARPA funds. This brings the total County investment in CHSP to $1.86 million for FY 2025.

The additional ARPA funds are available due to increased interest earnings as a result of the Federal Reserve increasing rates to combat high inflation during the Covid pandemic.

Staff recommends options #1 through #5:

1:  Establish the CHSP funding level for FY 2025 at $1,445,000

2:  Approve the allocation of $834,000 in one-time funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to support the CHSP homeless shelters category and establish line-item funding for emergency shelters for the FY 2025 – FY 2026 funding cycles.

3:  Establish the non-departmental maximum discretionary funding level for FY 2025 at $69,500 for special events funding.

4:  Establish the Commissioner Office Budgets at $20,500.

5:  Establish FY 2025 Outside Agency Contracts as follows, and authorize the County Administrator to execute the associated funding agreements and any amendments there to, subject to legal review by the County Attorney:

2-1-1 Big Bend: $112,500
DISC Village: $222,759
Domestic Violence Coordinating Council: $25,000
Oasis Center: $68,750
St. Francis Wildlife Association: $71,250
Tallahassee Senior Citizen Foundation: $179,000
Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation: $63,175
United Partners for Human Services: $40,000
Whole Child Leon: $38,000