Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes amendments to 2025 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) contracts with Briarpatch Youth Services, OutReach, and the Center for Community Stewardship. The contract amendments allocate $120,273 of previously unallocated program funds within the CDBG fund (MUNIS project #73223). No additional appropriation required.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute 2025 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) contract amendments with Briarpatch Youth Services, OutReach, and the Center for Community Stewardship, allocating previously unallocated funds. (Citywide)
Body
BACKGROUND
The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-funded initiative aimed at developing and implementing a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness.
The Madison/Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC) successfully secured the FY 2020 YHDP grant, with strong youth leadership from the CoC’s Youth Action Board (YAB). The City of Madison serves as the recipient and collaborative applicant, partnering with subrecipient agencies selected by the CoC. The current partners are Briarpatch Youth Services, OutReach, and the Center for Community Stewardship (C4CS). The City of Madison has recently received the HUD FY 2024 grant agreement, which covers funding for 2026 at the current level.
In 2025, Dane CoC YHDP funding supports the following activities:
- System Navigation and Youth Drop-in Center by OutReach
- Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Rehousing (TH-RRH) by Briarpatch & OutReach
- System Design, Implementation, and Evaluation by YAB (with C4CS as fiscal sponsor)
- The 2025 budget includes $120,273 in unallocated YHDP Joint TH/RRH funds. This includes $78,000 that was initially designated for a Youth Housing Coordinator position, $40,000 for TH (for which no proposals were submitted in response to a Request For Proposals), and corresponding administrative costs.
- City staff has consulted with YAB and the Dane CoC Board of Directors regarding the potential use of unallocated funds. On August 5, 2025, the Dane CoC Board approved a recommended reallocation plan that will use available funds to support the following:
- A new hotel-based TH program by OutReach, accommodating up to three housing units at a time with a maximum 90-day stay (pending HUD approval) - $70,852
- Additional funding to expand Briarpatch Youth Services’ Rapid Rehousing rental assistance and flex funds - $41,186.
- Expanded YAB activities for policies/procedures development and client-level consultation - $8,235.
This resolution authorizes the allocation of the unallocated funds as approved by the Dane CoC Board and corresponding amendments to the 2025 contracts with Briarpatch, OutReach, and C4CS, reflecting the changes outlined above.
ACTION
WHEREAS, the Common Council adopted the 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan earlier this year, which identifies homelessness as a critical community issue and outlines strategies for addressing it in partnership with community organizations; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Madison has long been committed to local efforts to prevent and end homelessness and is an active member of the Madison/Dane County Continuum of Care (CoC); and,
WHEREAS, on August 2, 2022, the Common Council authorized the City of Madison to assume responsibilities as YHDP Lead Agency for the distribution and oversight of YHDP grant funds (RES-22-00565, Legistar File #72663); and,
WHEREAS, the Community Development Division’s Adopted 2025 Operating Budget includes $811,858 in YHDP funds for Joint TH/RRH for youth, of which $120,273 has not yet been allocated to subrecipient agencies; and,
WHEREAS, the Dane CoC Board of Directors, at its August 5, 2025 meeting, approved a plan to use available funding to increase funding for current contracted YHDP subrecipient agencies as follows:
- Briarpatch Youth Services: Remove $19,679 from Transitional Housing (TH) and add $45,429 to Rapid Rehousing (RRH), resulting in a net increase of $25,750. The 2025 Joint TH/RRH contract amount is amended to $517,008, with funding now solely supporting RRH.
- OutReach: Add $70,852 to TH and $15,436 to RRH, for a total increase of $86,288. The 2025 Joint TH/RRH contract amount is amended to $242,995.
- Center for Community Stewardship: Add $8,235 for Youth Action Board (YAB) member compensation and fiscal sponsors. The 2025 contract amount for Joint TH-RRH component is amended to $43,988.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to take all steps necessary to allocate previously unallocated YHDP funds and execute 2025 YHDP contract amendments with Briarpatch Youth Services, OutReach, and the Center for Community Stewardship, in the specified amounts and for the designated uses described above.