Homeless Services: Federal Funds and Continuum of Care

By Tim Stuhldreher for the Lancaster County Community Foundation

The majority of U.S Department of Housing & Urban Development funding for homelessness service in Lancaster County is allocated by the county redevelopment authority and Homelessness Coalition.

It goes to fund the local “Continuum of Care,” HUD’s term for the interrelated network of services provided to address local homelessness: Street outreach, shelters, meals, services like the “Refresh Lancaster” mobile hygiene trailer and the “coordinated intake” system that organizations share so individuals don’t have to enroll all over again every time they deal with a different agency.

(Photo: Tim Stuhldreher)

Additional funding comes from the state government. Nonprofits combine the allocations with their own sources to cover Continuum of Care services.

For 2025-26, the authority and coalition are distributing a little under $1.8 million, a slight increase from the more than $1.6 million awarded for 2024-25. The money includes state and federal funds, city American Rescue Plan Act funds and a private-sector donation, and is a slight increase from the more than $1.6 million awarded for 2024-25.

The authority and coalition had hoped to have more, but its funding was cut by about $580,000 based on a HUD eligibility determination. As LNP reported, the ruling was made by the Biden administration; the redevelopment authority appealed it, but lost.

The authority board approved the 2025-26 allocations in May, ahead of the authority’s fiscal year, which starts July 1.

The remaining amount is sufficient to provide the services, Deb Jones, director of the office of the county Homelessness Coalition, told LNP. Nevertheless, she reiterated what she has said in multiple venues over the past two years: Homelessness services here are underfunded.

“Yet we keep saying, ‘Do more, do more, do more.’” she said. “What other industry would do that?”