County nonprofit leaders outline housing, recovery and harm‑reduction services and funding fragility

Several county nonprofits gave updates on housing, recovery and crisis services and urged continued attention to funding and coordination.

Jackie Williams, executive director of Ford Street Project, described an expanded Ukiah Recovery Center (now serving up to 60 people with 12 withdrawal management beds), the Unity Village family shelter and a food bank that the agency runs with limited county support. Williams said about 97% of clients served are on drug Medi‑Cal and cautioned that shelter funding from the continuum of care contract runs only through June, urging attention to contract continuity and reimbursement flows.

Victoria Kelly (Redwood Community Services) described integrated health and crisis services: Building Bridges emergency shelter (55 beds), crisis respites (Cypress and Madrone), mobile crisis backup (overnight response), warm line call volume and enhanced care management (ECM) outcomes (ECM clients and housing navigation numbers provided). Kelly said RCS responded with 19,432 specialty mental‑health services year to date and underscored the need to sustain eligibility supports for Medi‑Cal clients.

Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority (Mariah McGill, Preece Martinez) reviewed tribal housing work: NAHASDA funding constraints, property management for 232 units across served tribes, Hopland fourplex and Darlene Tule Terrace projects, and a $10.6 million award for an intertribal elder village (Phase 1: 15 units; Phase 2: proposed cultural and wellness center).

Joanna Olsen and Joseph Ditto of McCaven presented syringe services program statistics: over a six‑month contract window they reported 7,723 clients served, 46,446 syringes distributed and 34,530 returned (a 74% return rate, with a monthly period showing a 90% return when community collections are included). They also reported Narcan distribution totals and HCV testing/referrals. Presenters linked declines in HCV/HIV rates to syringe services and urged continued public health support.

Talmi Sei (First 5) advocated for continued funding of the Triple P parenting program and other prevention interventions, presenting pre/post data showing improvements in parental consistency, reduced harsh discipline and better parental adjustment, and warned of narrowing county prevention funds as state allocations change.

Across presenters, a common theme emerged: expanded services and programmatic gains exist alongside uncertain funding and contract cycles, prompting appeals for timely county and state support and for better coordination of eligibility and funding pathways.