Public health seeks Knox Works contract and signs off on homeless grant amendments

Melissa Casey and Dave Windham of Mason County Public Health asked the commissioners to move a contract with Knox Works (facilitator Paul Knox) to the June 23 action agenda so the county can assemble a local five-year homeless plan committee. Casey said the proposal emphasizes social determinants of health, behavioral and mental health, and substance-use treatment in the plan’s scope.

Staff also described amendments to the consolidated homeless grant to award FY27 funding to local providers including Crossroads Housing, New Horizons Communities and Turning Point Survivor Advocacy Center. They noted an outstanding invoice reconciliation with Youth Connection covering FY26 billings; staff said risk management is reviewing the documentation and they have until July 10 to submit final invoices to Commerce for reimbursement.

Separately, staff reported work to identify a shared, HIPAA-safe coordinated-entry or case‑management technology that would allow providers across several rural counties to coordinate referrals and close the information loop on whether clients kept appointments and received follow-up services. Casey said the tool would not hold personal medical records and staff are exploring multi-county options to share costs and standardize forms.

Commissioners supported placing both the Knox Works contract and the grant amendments on the June 23 agenda and encouraged staff to continue in‑person meetings with nonprofit partners to resolve invoicing and implementation details.