Housing agency warns HUD delays and voucher shortfalls could leave thousands unserved in Walton County

Tom Baker, reporting for the local housing agency, told the Walton County Affordable Housing Advisory Committee on April 21 that federal program delays and local capacity constraints threaten to deepen homelessness this year.

Baker said the agency's reported waiting list holds about 1,400 names but cautioned the figure is unreliable because the program has not added new cases consistently since mid‑2024. "The numbers could be 5,000, 6,000, 10,000," he said as a potential scale of unmet need if the list were updated; he also said the agency has not been able to place people on certain HUD programs since May–July of last year.

He described a multi-part problem: HUD had not released the NOFOs needed to renew contracts and fund rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing, delaying federal awards; state emergency solution grants also depend on federal release to the state. To keep services operating in the short term, the county agreed to provide up to $30,000 to keep the agency's doors open through the end of the year, Baker said.

Committee members and staff described demand pressures: local providers (Matrix and Caring and Sharing) report heavy call volumes, Walton County lacks a shelter and relies on motel rooms for temporary placement, and schools report substantial numbers of students classified as homeless under the state education definition. Baker said one CoC report showed roughly 1,700 people in a single quarter across Okaloosa and Walton who were homeless or at imminent risk, with Walton's caseload relatively higher than Okaloosa's.

The agency also faces programmatic risks: Baker said the agency may face a shortfall in rental payments later in the year and is planning contingencies if federal funds are not released. Committee members warned that prolonged funding delays could increase visible homelessness and encampments in Walton County.

What happens next: staff said they will continue to pursue grant and county support, meet with county leaders about CRA reorganization opportunities in Defuniak, and report back on numbers and program options to the committee.