The City of Lacey's Human Services Commission advanced its 2025 Human Services Program Grant Program with a recommendation to implement a new $35,000 cap on funding for individual public service programs.
This adjustment to the grant initiative, with a total allocation of $300,000, seeks to ensure that a greater number of agencies can benefit from city support.
“Last time we did not have a cap, and we got a lot of very large requests which made it difficult for us to spread that pot farther,” said Human Services Coordinator Michelle Chavez, who presented the program update at the commission's meeting on Thursday, April 3.
Chavez further explained that the cap would maximize the impact of human services funding by preventing the concentration of resources in a few large-scale projects.
While public service programs will now be subject to the $35,000 limit, capital projects will continue to have a higher funding ceiling of $50,000.
Chavez said this dual-cap approach acknowledges the different financial needs of service-based initiatives versus infrastructure development, allowing the city to address a range of community needs effectively.
She expressed optimism that "with these changes we'll be able to fund more agencies, hopefully some of the folks who didn't get funded last year will reapply and we will be able to fund them this year.”
The 2025 grant program will continue its priorities of addressing essential social services for low-income and special needs populations within Lacey, Chavez added.
Agencies must demonstrate a clear benefit to residents of Lacey.
According to the staff report, the program has identified three core priority areas that all funded services must address: housing, survival and security.
Within housing, the program will prioritize projects dedicated to expanding and upgrading affordable housing, providing emergency rental assistance, offering housing education and creating and sustaining supportive housing services.
The survival category encompasses initiatives that ensure access to basic necessities, such as food, water, shelter, sleep and clothing.
Finally, under security, the program will support services focused on job training and placement, mental and physical health care, drug and alcohol recovery, support during personal and family crisis and transportation.
The 2025 grant cycle is slated to begin on Aug. 1, 2025, with a timeline that includes application workshops and a thorough review process.
This recommendation will now proceed to the Lacey City Council for final approval.
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