News Release

HUD OFFICIAL DELIVERS $712,591.00 TO MANHATTAN EMERGENCY SHELTER, INC. TO SUPPORT HOMELESS PROGRAMS IN MANHATTAN
Ten housing and service programs in Kansas under the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition will benefit from HUD funding

KANSAS CITY, KS � U.S. Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Macie Houston today presented Mayor Tom Phillips and Mandy Chapman Semple with Manhattan Emergency Shelter, Inc. (MESI) with two grants totaling $712,591 to support homeless individuals and families in Manhattan. The grants will support the full spectrum or "continuum of care" for homeless individuals and families � from street outreach and emergency shelter to transitional and permanent housing. Nationally, HUD is awarding a record $1.5 billion to an unprecedented 6,200 local housing and service programs.

Manhattan Emergency Shelter, Inc. has been operating a residential shelter for 23 years. The shelter services men, women and families, offering emergency and transitional shelter as well as integrated case management and referral services. The two new grants will allow MESI to move into the permanent housing business; a housing first philosophy.

Members of the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition receiving 2007 homeless assistance grants under HUD's Continuum of Care program (L-R): Back row: Prairie View, Inc. Bradley Schmidt, CLASS LTD Randy Pommier, HUD CPD Director Terri Porter, Northeast Kansas Community Action Program (NEK-CAP) Deb Ellis, Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition Lisa Davis, Mental Health Association of the Heartland James Glenn Front row: Kansas Housing Resources Corporation Al Dorsey, HUD Regional Director Macie Houston, Manhattan Emergency Shelter, Inc. Mandy Chapman Semple, Mental Health Association of the Heartland Simon Messmer, Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition Randy Crandall

The first grant will provide funding for a scattered site leasing of 12 one-bedroom units for homeless individuals with severe mental illness. Currently, 30-50 percent of the clients housed by MESI have a diagnosed mental illness. The second grant will serve families with children in a program called Transition in Place. Families will move into 12 scattered site units leased by MESI. They will receive enriched case management services tailored to overcome the barriers that prevent families from achieving permanent housing and self-sufficiency. Upon graduation from the program, the participants will simply take over the unit's lease.

While in Manhattan, Houston also announced $2,551,252 to eight additional housing and service programs under the State's Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition. The Coalition is made up of smaller cities and rural towns throughout Kansas. A total of $3,263,843 was announced today to provide housing and services to hundreds of homeless people living in Kansas. A summary of the projects awarded funding is included with this news release.

HUD's homeless services 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.



• Emergency Shelter Grants provide funds for the operation of local shelters and fund related social service and homeless prevention programs. 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.

The Goal to End Chronic Homelessness

For six years, ending chronic homelessness has been one of President 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 the HUD's Chronic Homelessness webpage.

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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 and 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.