Sponsor: Housing Stability
Title
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Grant Agreement with the City of Saint Paul for Familiar Families Pilot Program
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Recommendation
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1. Accept a grant award and approve a grant agreement with the City of Saint Paul for the period of December 20, 2025 through December 19, 2026 through in the amount of $500,000.00.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the grant agreement.
3. Authorize the County Manager to enter into agreements and execute amendments to agreements in accordance with the county’s procurement policies and procedures, provided the amounts are within the limits of the grant funding.
4. Authorize the County Manager to submit future grant applications and accept future grant funding to support program operations and sustainability, in a form approved by the County Attorney’s Office.
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Background and Rationale
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The Heading Home Ramsey Family Shelter Workgroup identified a small but highly vulnerable group of families who experience persistent, chronic homelessness and have repeatedly struggled to stay in traditional shelter environments due to complex behavioral, trauma-related, and multi-system needs.
These families often cycle between unsheltered homelessness, emergency response systems, schools, hospitals, and criminal legal involvement without stabilizing. Their needs generate high public sector costs and significant safety concerns.
To address this gap, the Workgroup designed the Innovative Familiar Families Pilot Program, which would support up to five families at a time-approximately 20 individuals, the majority of whom are children. With an estimated average shelter stay of four months, the program is expected to serve at least 60 individuals per year during the initial pilot.
Families eligible for this pilot will meet one or both criteria with priority being placed on families meeting both criteria:
1. 4+ years of homelessness per McKinney-Vento (non-sequential), and
2. Restricted or banned from at least one traditional family shelter or County-funded hotel program.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Families experiencing long-term homelessness in Ramsey County are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and families of color, and children within these households experience significantly higher rates of housing instability, school disruption, trauma exposure, and adverse health outcomes. Traditional shelter models have not consistently met the needs of families with multiple and complex barriers, resulting in repeated exits, prolonged homelessness, and further racialized disparities in outcomes.
By offering stabilized sheltering options, educational continuity for children, and robust wrap-around supports before and after housing placement, this pilot advances Ramsey County’s commitment to embedding racial equity in service delivery. The program prioritizes healing, dignity, and culturally responsive care, and is expected to reduce shelter re-entries, increase exits to stable housing, and decrease racial disparities in the homelessness response system.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Extensive community and stakeholder engagement has informed the development of the Familiar Families Pilot Program. The Heading Home Ramsey (HHR) Family Shelter Workgroup - which includes representatives from community-based organizations, culturally specific service providers, education partners, youth-serving agencies, and individuals with lived experience of homelessness - identified the need for an alternative, trauma-responsive shelter model for families who have not been well served in traditional settings.
The program design reflects direct feedback from families with lived experience, shelter providers, and frontline staff who have consistently highlighted the gaps in accessibility, safety, and support within the existing shelter system. Stakeholders emphasized the need for culturally specific engagement, educational stability for children, and sustained wrap-around services that extend beyond emergency shelter placement.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The Familiar Families Pilot Program will be administered by the Ramsey County Housing Stability Department (HSD). The City of Saint Paul will provide $500,000 in financial support for the initial implementation of this pilot. These funds will be used to secure shelter space and provide trauma-informed, wrap-around services for participating families. This new grant funding is not accounted for in the HSD 2025 operating budget and not accounted for in the proposed 2026 budget.
Last Previous Action
1. None.
Attachments
1. Ramsey County and City of Saint Paul Familiar Families Grant Agreement