To receive funding, an organization had to qualify as a human service agency, which is defined as an organization that provides support for an array of basic social, physical health, housing and mental health services to clients in the community, according to agenda documents.
The overview
After receiving a presentation on funding recommendations from the Human Services Advisory Board, or HSAB, and following an amendment, the council voted to fund 23 local human services agencies.
The two agencies receiving the most funding include:
- The Hays County Food Bank, which will receive $85,000
- The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, which will receive $60,000 after receiving funding for multiple different programs.
HSAB’s recommendations allocated $144,000 to food-focused agencies and $127,000 to agencies addressing domestic abuse. The remaining funds were distributed among agencies focused on emergency assistance, education and life skills, mental health, and other services, according to agenda documents.
Zooming in
Council members discussed concerns that HSAB didn’t have enough funding this year, leaving many agencies either unfunded or underfunded.
In 2024, HSAB was authorized by the city to allocate $650,000, leaving 2025 at a $100,000 deficit. In comparison, the city authorized around $1 million for HSAB funding in 2022, according to HSAB documents.
“I think all of the ‘thanks yous’ and the ‘we’ll work on the criteria’ and all that—it’s really empty,” council member Amanda Rodriguez said. “One of the things that I think has been reiterated both in this meeting and the previous one is that $550,000 was never going to be enough. ... We need to put our money where our mouths are and not just say ‘thank you’ to these organizations but actually fund them.”
The background
Each year, HSAB reviews applications from nonprofit programs for funding allocated through the city’s budget to the Human Services Grants. The board then presents funding recommendations to the City Council. According to city documents, the application period for 2025 ran from June 21 to July 29 of 2024, according to city documents.
During the evaluation process, the board assesses applications using five criteria:
- Community need and justification
- Implementation readiness
- Impact and cost-effectiveness
- Community support
- Alignment with council priorities
From Aug. 19 to Oct. 10, each applicant presented their program to the board and participated in a question-and-answer session. By early November, the board spent its time finalizing its recommendations.
Notable quotes
“I want to thank not only the Human Services board members, but all of the social services agencies,” Mayor Jane Hughson said. “I thank you for what you do. You are out there helping people every day, and we know that the need is more out there than what you can help now. So, that’s something that we’ll be addressing.”
