Council declares critical community need for housing case management funding for Providence Connects (Daily Bread)

The council on Aug. 12 declared a critical community need to support the provision of housing case management services to chronically homeless residents by Providence Connects (formerly Daily Bread). The declaration begins the public process under city grant policy and allows staff to bring the request to the Grants & Aid Committee and later to council as a funding agreement.

City staff said the city has historically provided $50,000 annually for a housing case manager position and that Providence Connects requested $100,000 last year to fund two case managers. Staff noted that the current adopted budget included $50,000 and that any increase would require council budget action during the fiscal budget process.

Jeff Nuss, speaking for Providence Connects, said the group has moved from a fixed brick‑and‑mortar distribution model to several weekly community access points and emphasized that case management is the program’s core service to help people exit homelessness. Council unanimously approved the declaration of critical community need; grant or budget approval for staffing levels and funding amounts will follow through the city’s Grants & Aid Committee and the FY2026 budget process.