VA Per Diem Grant Funding for the Borden Avenue Shelter

At a glance

Based on human-uploaded captions that may still contain errors; names, numbers and bill numbers may be misheard.

What: the federal VA Grant and Per Diem program helped fund Borden Avenue for over 15 years (up to about $4 million and 154 beds). The city declined the new award, which the VA offered at about 44 beds and $1.3 million with new terms tied to a federal executive order on gender.
Where it stands: discussed 2026-10-21. DSS said the grant ended 2026-09-30, the city is covering the full cost with tax-levy funds so no bed or service is lost, and it could not sign terms it says violate state and city anti-discrimination law. Witnesses questioned whether the terms were as described.
Next: DSS agreed to provide its legal analysis; costs to appear in a future financial plan; the chairs asked about fund tracking.

Timeline: application in February 2026; VA proposal in June; grant end September 30, 2026.
DSS said it now serves more veterans than under the grant because the VA had declined many applicants.
Chair Morano asked why the city did not accept the reduced award for eligible beds and pay the rest; DSS said a new agreement meant accepting all terms.
Advocates and task force members said released records show no such requirement unless redacted, asked how performance was measured, and cited award lists showing city beds falling from 154 (fiscal 2024) to 8 (fiscal 2027) (witness claim).
A resident said loss of the grant ended extra time away from the shelter.

About 22 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-21 - Committee hearing	22

2026-10-21 - Committee hearing - DSS explained the declined grant and city funding; Chair Morano, Council Members and advocates questioned the reasons and the figures.