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HUD grants fund homeless programs
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007 |
PINELLAS COUNTY – Federal officials announced Tuesday that $1.4 billion in funding had been approved by the Bush administration to assist homeless people nationwide.
Local agencies that serve the homeless population in Pinellas stand to receive about $2.3 million, plus an additional $134, 978 in emergency shelter grants.
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson said in a press release that more than 5,300 local homeless programs throughout the nation would benefit from the federal dollars approved by the Bush administration.
"These grants will support thousands of local programs that are on the front lines of helping those who might otherwise be living on our streets," said Jackson. "Whether it's a single man living with a mental illness or a family struggling to give their children a roof over their heads, this funding is quite literally saving lives."
According to a press release from U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) Florida will receive more than $63 million in homeless grant funds.
“These are welcome and much needed resources - dollars that will go to help Florida’s most vulnerable population. As a former Secretary of HUD, I know how critical these assistance programs are towards accomplishing the President’s goal of eliminating chronic homelessness,” said Martinez.
According to details found at the HUD Web site, local agencies receiving grants are: Operation PAR, $100,452; Boley Centers Inc., four grants totaling $547,624; Homeless Emergency Project, three grants totaling $168,502; CASA (Community Stops Abuse) Inc., $241,031; Religious Community Services Inc., $110,054; YWCA of Tampa Bay, $176,237; Brookwood Florida-Central Inc., $98,430; Directions for Mental Health, $356, 438; WestCare GulfCoast Florida Inc., $273,000; 2-1-1- Tampa Bay Cares Inc., $172,454; and ALPHA A Beginning Inc., $69,888.
Additional information posted on the HUD Web site, www.hud.gov, said that 1,096 of the project awards target the chronic homeless. More than $618 million will go to projects that provide permanent solutions for the homeless.
More than 2,857 projects that serve mothers and their children across the United States will receive $686 million. Nearly $91 million will be split between 560 programs that serve victims of domestic violence.
A total of 145 projects across the nation that service homeless veterans will share $30 million in funding. More than 1,500 projects that provide housing and support services for the severely mentally will receive grants totaling $388 million. Almost $329 million will go to support 1,366 programs that help homeless people with substance abuse problems.
Since 2001, HUD has awarded about $9 billion in funding to state and local communities to support the housing and service needs of homeless persons and families. The fiscal year 2008 budget seeks more than $1.6 billion through HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs.
"The homeless must not become invisible or marginalized,” Jackson said. “Our response tells us much about our humanity as a people and a nation. When our fellow citizens literally need shelter from the storm, or a meal, or counseling, or help to regain their footing in life, we must be there to respond."
HUD's funding is provided in two ways
- HUD's Continuum of Care programs provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition, Continuum grants fund important services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. More than $1.2 billion in Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. Continuum grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families. Half of all Continuum funding awarded today, nearly $618 million, will support new and existing programs that help to pay rent and provide permanent housing for disabled homeless individuals and their families (see attached summary of the funding awarded today).
- Emergency Shelter Grants provide funds for homeless shelters, assist in the operation of local shelters and fund related social service and homeless prevention programs. HUD is awarding $160 million in Emergency Shelter Grants that are allocated based on a formula to state and local governments to create, improve and operate emergency shelters for homeless persons.
These funds may also support essential services including job training, health care, drug and alcohol treatment, childcare and homelessness prevention activities. By helping to support emergency shelter, transitional housing and needed support services, Emergency Shelter Grants are designed to move homeless persons away from a life on the street toward permanent housing.
More information about HUD and its programs is available at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov..
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Article published on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007
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