Committee member: County extends shelter operator contract, pursues veteran housing site

A county committee member said the Continuum of Care approved a short extension of Redwood Community Services’ role as administrator and manager of the Hamilton Haven shelter in the Old Juvenile Hall to prevent a lapse in services.

“We did approve…extending the Redwood Community Services as the administrator and manager of the Hamilton Haven shelter in the Old Juvenile Hall,” the committee member said, adding the extension runs through July 31 to bridge to a new contract.

The speaker said the COC is finalizing contracts at a special meeting slated for July 24 and expects the Board to consider the item on July 28 so a new contract can begin Aug. 1. The committee member said savings in current monthly operating costs allowed the one‑month extension and emphasized avoiding a gap that would leave Redwood Community Services without a contract.

On funding, the speaker said the county received new state assistance for housing and homelessness but that this allocation covered roughly half of what the county had typically received in past HAP rounds; they said they expect fuller funding in the next cycle (referred to in remarks as “round 7”) and that Behavioral Health and the COC should receive funds to support existing shelters. The speaker did not specify the program name in full during remarks and described it only as a state housing/homelessness assistance allocation.

The committee member also reported the COC and partners, including the Red Cross, identified a property in the City of Clear Lake for veteran housing and are awaiting an appraisal. They said Homekey Plus funding at the state level is available for veteran housing and that the COC will provide some funding to support the site plan and the application process.

The committee member said the anticipated new contract would run roughly 12–14 months based on current budget assumptions. They noted they will present the contract and funding items to the COC on July 24 and to the Board on July 28. The speaker said they will travel July 15–21 for the NACo Annual Conference in New Orleans and related opioid settlement fund meetings but will return in time for the July 21 meeting.

Next steps: the COC special meeting on July 24 is expected to finalize contract language; the Board will consider the item July 28 before an Aug. 1 contract start date, and the veteran housing application will proceed once appraisal and site planning are complete.