County officials have begun a new effort to better help families who find themselves homeless by better connecting the county’s mental hygiene and social services departments into a unified system.

On any given day there are roughly 50 families in temporary housing. The Family-Centered Case Management Initiative is notified when a family enters temporary housing and connects them to support services. A team of case managers and senior caseworkers work directly with families placed in temporary housing. They assess each family’s needs in an effort to help the families become more stable financially and connect them with community resources that include mental health and substance use services, employment and financial stability programs, long-term housing assistance, child care and transportation support.

It’s a good first step. There is typically no single reason why a family finds itself homeless, so it makes sense to try to link those receiving temporary housing assistance with people who can help in a myriad of ways. We also know it can be difficult for some people to navigate the web of services that are available, and rather than see people beating their heads against the wall in frustration trying to navigate government offices, the county is lending a hand in an effort to help families get back on their feet.

County officials had to do something because the status quo was unsustainable. The types of increases we’ve seen locally in temporary housing costs can’t continue, and we all know there is a toll paid by families who find themselves in and out of temporary housing as they try to secure stable housing in a region where affordable housing is in short supply. Building transitional housing that brings the types of services the county is offering under the Family-Centered Case Management System is expensive to build and staff. While there is work happening to add affordable housing back into the housing market, that work will take time, just as it takes time to build additional mental health and addiction support services. We couldn’t cling to the status quo while additional housing is built.

The county is doing its part to meet the needs of the homeless. We hope those who need help take the assistance.