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17 <br /> <br /> <br />Corey Root said $1.7 million more is needed in annual funding to fill all of the gaps. <br />Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is a priority to these gaps. <br />Corey Root said yes, rapid re-housing is the number one gap, and her staff plans to <br />prioritize this time around. <br />Commissioner Dorosin said there is low hanging fruit that is not being harvested, and <br />this seems like a case where the County has experts that know what needs to be done and <br />what works. He said $1.7 million is a lot of money, and the annual budget is $220 million, and <br />he asked the BOCC to start thinking about addressing some of these needs. <br />Bonnie Hammersley said the Partnership budget is funded from all of the governments, <br />and thus the $1.7 million gap does not just fall on Orange County. She encouraged the <br />committee to consider how to address some of the low-hanging fruit, and does not feel the <br />County should come in and be responsible for meeting all the needs. <br />Chair Rich said this may be a good conversation topic for the Assemblies of <br />Government (AOG). <br />Bonnie Hammersley said Corey Root will be giving this report to the other elected <br />officials. <br />Commissioner Greene thanked Commissioner Dorosin for jump-starting this <br />conversation. She said there is a team of experts locally, and Corey Root has been singing this <br />song for some time now. She said the priorities are known, and the answer is funding. <br />Commissioner Greene said one of the problems with lacking capacity is the set up with <br />the men’s shelter. She said she was on the Town Council when the Director announced he <br />was changing the model from a shelter to a transitional men’s home, thus resulting in no <br />homeless shelter for men in Orange County. <br />Commissioner Greene said the facility could be reorganized, but fundamentally it is time <br />to take some action. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos said since rapid re-housing is a priority, and funding is the <br />deterrent. He said the County has access to land at the Greene Tract, and creating 20-30 tiny <br />homes would not be difficult or expensive to construct. He asked if this type of resource would <br />have a major impact on the need. <br />Corey Root said 20-30 units of anything would be great. She said tiny homes are one <br />option, but will not end homelessness by themselves. She said it is just one part of the solution, <br />as sometimes there are families in need, or those who do not want to live in tiny homes. <br />Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is an effective way to pull information together <br />to put out to the community. <br />Corey Root said Raleigh is building a tiny home community, and Austin, Texas has a <br />very famous one. She said there are many models to follow. She said it also important to <br />remember community.