Humboldt County health officials report HUD NOFO pause, outline Care Court steps and push for more housing

County public health officials on Tuesday told the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors that a preliminary injunction halted a November HUD funding notice that would have sharply curtailed automatic renewals for local homelessness grants and moved much of the available money into a national competitive pool.

“On December 23, there was a preliminary injunction that ordered HUD to pause that notice of funding opportunity,” Robert Ward, housing and assistance coordinator for the county Department of Health and Human Services, said. He added that HUD reopened the NOFO on Jan. 9 and the county’s Continuum of Care board will consider whether to request automatic renewal of its grants.

The report placed the county’s HUD-funded permanent supportive housing at about 70 households, covering roughly 80 people on any given night. Ward also described state funding under the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program and said the county’s share for the most recent approved round is roughly $3.7 million, while the governor’s January budget referenced a planned $500 million for a future round but that appropriation remains uncertain.

Why it matters: the board’s discussion underscored how federal and state program rules shape whether funding stays with existing local supportive-housing projects or shifts toward short-term transitional programs that require strict participation and time limits. Ward warned that shorter stays without enough pathways to income could lead to churn rather than stable exits to housing.

County staff also updated supervisors on local implementation of Senate Bill 43’s Care Court, which expands criteria for grave disability and establishes civil care pathways for some people with severe substance use or mental health disorders. Paul Bognacki, speaking for behavioral health partners, said Humboldt developed a work group of 40–50 stakeholders to design local treatment pathways and reported one SUD-related legal hold had been used so far.

“Care Court is one of those least-restrictive avenues where we can try Care Court,” Bognacki said, adding that the county is prioritizing voluntary engagement and local treatment capacity. County officials noted that forced medication is limited to narrowly defined emergency or secure-facility contexts and is not part of routine Care Court practice.

Supervisors pressed staff on whether court-ordered treatment models being discussed elsewhere — and recent actions in San Francisco — offered useful models for Humboldt. Staff said Humboldt’s approach emphasizes voluntary pathways and new local crisis triage and navigation centers intended to expand on-the-ground options, with a crisis triage center due to open in Arcata in mid- to late 2027.

Public commenters voiced frustration with visible homelessness and urged faster action. Staff responded by seeking volunteers for the upcoming Point-in-Time count and noting that hundreds of people are housed through local supportive programs.

What the board did: after public comment the board voted 5-0 to receive and file the DHHS housing and homelessness presentation. Supervisors emphasized continuing outreach and communications so residents understand local progress and constraints.

Next steps: county staff said the Continuum of Care will meet to consider automatic renewals under the reopened HUD NOFO and that the county will continue to report to the state on Care Court results and data.