This just in:
Friday, February 20, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA AWARDED $28.6 MILLION IN HOMELESS GRANTS FROM DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Philadelphia, February 20 – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced that it has awarded Philadelphia $28.6 million through the 2008 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program. Philadelphia was awarded $26,360,293 in the competitive portion, and $2,303,406 in formula Emergency Shelter Grant funds. This year's competitive award is $1m more than Philadelphia received last year.
"This year's award will allow us to continue and build upon the successes that we have achieved in tackling homelessness over the last year", said Mayor Nutter. "With this award, the City will create 100 new units of permanent, affordable housing for homeless families and for the men and women who are living on our streets."
Since last May when Mayor Nutter unveiled his strategy to create new housing and treatment opportunities, 278 homeless individuals and families have moved into affordable housing units. With case management and behavioral health supports, every one of them has remained in housing - ending, for some individuals, years of homelessness. Another 120 individuals and families are in the pipeline.
This award enables a continuation of funding for 2,200 units of Safe Havens, transitional housing, and permanent housing for homeless individuals and families. It includes funding for 100 new units of housing, including five years of rental assistance funding for 56 of the 125 Housing First units managed by Pathways to Housing under the Mayor's Homeless Strategy.
It is important to note that this funding does not alleviate any of the City of Philadelphia's financial difficulties as the funding was already anticipated in the City's budget and homeless strategy. The vast majority of the award goes direct to non-profit organizations to continue the work that they were already doing, and the balance ($4.8m) provides funding for new construction, multi-year rental assistance, and supportive service and operating dollars for the new housing that will be created. The Administration is currently reviewing the new stimulus package from the federal government to identify further potential funding opportunities.
HUD's funding is provided in two ways:
Continuum of Care Grants 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 $1.5 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, more than $783 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 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.