Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today announced Utah will receive more than $6 million to provide shelter and care for persons and families without a home of their own.
The funding to Utah is part of nearly $1.4 billion announced nationwide – the largest single commitment of federal funds supporting an unprecedented number of local projects on the front lines of caring for people who might otherwise be living on the streets.
“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.”
Since 2001, HUD has awarded approximately $9 billion in funding to state and local communities to support the housing and service needs of homeless persons and families.
Next year, President George W. Bush is proposing a record level of funding to house and serve homeless persons and families. The FY 2008 Budget seeks more than $1.6 billion through HUD’s Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs.
Jackson added, “The homeless must not become invisible or marginalized. 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. First, 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).
The second way in which HUD funds are provided is through Emergency Shelter Grants, which 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/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.
For six years, ending chronic homelessness has been one of Bush’s national goals. Research indicates that approximately 20 percent of all homeless persons experience long-term or chronic homelessness.
These studies conclude that this hardest-to-serve population utilizes more than half of all emergency shelter resources designed to assist homeless individuals and families.
By shifting the federal emphasis toward meeting the needs of the most vulnerable homeless persons, more resources become available for those who experience situational homelessness.
To learn more about chronic homelessness, visit HUD’s Chronic Homelessness webpage, http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/chronic.cfm.
HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS.
The department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation’s fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.
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