Chair Stevens on adequacy of per-bed reimbursement rates
Stevens questions whether current per-bed rates of $47,000-$55,000 are adequate, noting providers say they need around $70,000. Haskell acknowledges costs have risen since 2018 and providers struggle to deliver full services within contract constraints, saying DYCD is open to revisiting investment levels.
In May 2025, the council raised concern that DYCD's extensions of RFY contracts without an increased per bed
reimbursement rate, which remained between $47,000 and $55,000 per bed, providers have reported that those rates did not reflect the actual cost of operating RHY programs or addressing existing program deficits.
Does DYCD believe that the current rates are adequate and cover the cost of providing RHY services?
And has DYCD conducted an analysis of actual cost of operating RHY shelter beds and compared them with current reimbursement rates?
I think Commissioner has acknowledged that we need to do a review.
So I think we're certainly open to the idea that the level of investment needs to be reconsidered 100%.
And our colleagues, we are in touch with providers all the time.
We understand there are concerns that costs have gone up since 2018.
And I think, you know, one of the things we hear from providers, like each one of the incredible providers that Commissioner spoke about, brings their own resources and flair and leverages activities.
And we have heard from providers that it's been harder to bring the full.
Breadth of services that they want to bring to to what to respond to what young people need and that they've had to remain largely focused on what their contract responsibilities are so we
we look forward to revisiting that so that we can make sure young people are getting all that they deserve.
Yeah.
And I know you guys are doing your own evaluations, but I've been talking to providers.
They know what they need.
Have you guys just not gotten the feedback from them around the current debt reimbursement?
Because I feel like if they're saying we cannot provide this service adequately and then we're like, okay, we're doing evaluations, what does that meetup look like?
Because that ultimately sounds like to me that young people then are not getting adequate services.
And so where are we at with the providers?
Because I feel like they gave me a thing.
They gave me a price point already.
So I think they said something about 70K.
We definitely have heard.
What I would offer, yes, we believe providers, right?
Like we believe that the expenses that they have stated need to be looked at and considered.
And what I would say is that we have to evaluate our HY in tandem with our other portfolios.
And that's why this is taking a little longer than we'd like.
And we understand that that unevenness has created instability in the field.
So when we think about, and thank you for the acknowledgement about the compass, when we think about compass and we think about RHY and we think about beacons and we think about cornerstones, a provider is at the point of service.
They are serving young people that are part of multiple programs.
And most of the providers are having multiple contracts.
That's right.
So most of them are our beacon providers or our after school providers.
So are our social services and doing our senior work and all the things.
And so if there's an adequate one space, then it falls into other spaces too.
So the analysis is opening up the aperture and taking those things in tandem, not taking more time, but being really thoughtful so that any approach we have moves the needle evenly across the board.