WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development Secretary and current United States Interagency Council on
Homelessness Chair Alphonso Jackson today announced the award of nearly
$1.4 billion in Homeless Assistance Grant funding to provide shelter,
transitional and permanent housing, and services to more than 150,000
individuals and families through more than 5300 programs in communities
throughout the nation. “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 mental illness, or a family struggling to give their children a roof
over their heads, this funding is quite literally saving lives.”
"The $1.4 billion announced today continues the Administration's
commitment to ending chronic homelessness and more effectively assisting
homeless families," said United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
Executive Director Philip Mangano. "This funding will support an
unprecedented number of local programs- more than 5,300 individual
shelter, housing and service projects throughout America- in a tangible
expression of the National Partnership which received additional
encouragement recently from the President's proposed FY 2008 budget of
$4.4 billion for a seventh record year of targeted federal homelessness
assistance funding."
Among the award highlights:
- More than 2800 local projects will receive $686 million to serve
mothers and children.
- 1,096 of the awards totaling more than $287 million are to projects
that specifically target persons experiencing chronic homelessness. This
commitment of funding is another step toward achieving the
Administration’s goal of ending chronic homelessness.
- More than $618 million will support permanent housing solutions for
homeless persons.
- Nearly $91 million is being awarded to 560 programs that primarily
work to help victims of domestic violence.
- $30 million is being awarded to 145 projects that will primarily
serve homeless veterans.
- $388 million will help fund 1,526 projects providing housing and
support services to severely mentally ill persons and nearly $329 will
support 1,366 local programs that primarily help homeless persons with
substance abuse problems. Persons with mental illness and/or substance
abuse addiction are among those most at risk of experiencing chronic
homelessness.
Since 2001, HUD has awarded approximately $9 billion in funding to
state and local communities to support the housing and supportive service
needs of homeless persons and families. To view the list of projects
awarded funding in today's announcement, click here.
