- Alachua County proposed $350,000 for homeless street outreach's third year amid debate over housing-first vs treatment-based models.
- County staff support housing-first but must include treatment-first options to comply with new federal funding rules.
- Commissioners unanimously approved directing staff to align the RFP with housing-first without delaying contract renewal by Oct. 1.
Alachua County was set to approve $350,000 for its third year of homeless street outreach along with 24 other items as part of Tuesday’s consent agenda, with one vote finalizing all the items.
But Commissioner Anna Prizzia pulled the street outreach contract from the consent agenda and opened a conversation with commissioners, staff and contractors about the county’s housing-first model to homelessness versus the shift toward a treatment-based model by the Trump administration.
Prizzia was concerned that the county’s contractor, TaskForce for Ending Homelessness, had signaled a move away from the housing-first model when it issued a request for proposals for the street outreach work.
The Taskforce’s request for proposals mentioned a treatment or recovery-based approach that connects individuals with those services and not just relying on housing intervention. It also said respondents should demonstrate adherence to the 2026 Five-Step Encampment Response Framework released by the Trump administration.
Jacob Torner, vice president of programs for the TaskForce, said the street outreach contractor would still follow the county’s housing-centered model. The county backup materials make no mention of a treatment-first approach, instead mentioning “housing-focused street outreach and permanent housing services for individuals experiencing homelessness.”
But the actual request for proposals (RFP) already made public by the TaskForce mentioned the treatment-based approaches.
Joe Jackson, board attorney for the county’s homeless shelter GRACE Marketplace, said the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is providing the funding and should determine which approach is used.
“The RFP, as it’s drafted, contains section after section that refers to seeking a recovery-based or treatment-based approach, which in fact is favored by the Trump administration and is antithetical to the National Alliance approach to street outreach,” Jackson said.
Claudia Tuck, director of Alachua County’s Community Support Services, said the county aligns with the housing-first model but must now add the other treatment-first options.
“We have to make those other services available to align with what the federal government, who’s providing over a million dollars to this community just in homeless services, is saying,” Tuck said. “So what we’re trying to do is walk that fine line in the middle.”
She told Prizzia that the TaskForce, at the county’s request, could alter the request for proposals even though it’s already open for bids.
Jackson called the RFP a bait-and-switch, featuring the housing-first model up front but then allowing and asking for treatment-first approaches in the details. But Tuck’s response showed that the county staff is fully behind the housing-first model but wants to include language that appeases the federal government when they look at how Alachua County is implementing its full suite of homeless services, whether federally or locally funded.
“We’re applying through the continuum of care for federal funding, drawing it down,” Tuck explained. “So, anything that we do locally, when we do an application, the federal government has made it clear—not just for homeless funds or any HUD federal funding—that they will be looking at communities and how they’re handling their services. One of them is homeless services, and the federal government has changed. I’m the strongest advocate of housing first. . . .I’m the one that brought it here. So, this is tough for all of us. This is not an easy day, but they’re looking at everything.”
The county has pushed for the housing-first model and renovated two motels to provide 67 units of permanent supportive housing—regardless of drug or alcohol use.
Prizzia said she had no problem with Alachua County threading the needle and offering treatment-first operators to apply. But she said the RFP isn’t worded in that way. Instead, the TaskForce, funded by the county, seems to specifically solicit those treatment-first operators.
Prizzia put forward a motion for staff to work with the TaskForce to ensure the RFP remained housing-first and return it to the BOCC for review. But the current homeless outreach contract ends on Sept. 30. A delay in the RFP could leave the service unfunded on Oct. 1.
Prizzia withdrew her motion, and Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler made a motion to approve staff’s recommendation, which allocated the $350,000 for the RFP already in the public.
Wheeler said she trusted staff and their work on the issue.
Commissioner Chuck Chestnut seconded the motion but said he was frustrated by last-minute items coming before the commission, leaving no room for delay or change without compromising services.
“It’s just not right to do this kind of stuff here at this last minute,” Chestnut said. “To me, it’s just not right. You know, I’m getting kind of fed up with this. It’s been happening a lot in our community.”
After hearing more from staff, Prizzia offered a substitute motion that directed staff to work with the TaskForce and align the ongoing RFP with the county’s housing-first model.
Chair Ken Cornell asked Tuck if the motion would put any funding at risk or delay getting the contract in place by Oct. 1. She said no, and Torner readily agreed.
The motion passed unanimously and will not return to the BOCC before a new street outreach team is contracted.
TJ White, the county’s procurement director, said August is a typical window to renew an October contract, but that the county will try to move the window earlier by a few months when the contract requires a further RFP or subcontractor.