News Release

BUSH ADMINISTRATION AWARDS $1.3 BILLION TO HOUSE AND SERVE THOUSANDS OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
Continuum of Care Organizations in Danville, Eastern Shore, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Northern Virginia, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Southwest Virginia, Staunton, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Winchester Areas Win $20.9 Million to Help Combat Homelessness

WASHINGTON - Thousands of local programs that house and serve homeless persons-from emergency shelters and transitional housing projects to permanent supportive housing programs-will receive $1.33 billion in funding through grants announced today by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. HUD funding will support a record number of local programs and are expected to provide critically needed assistance to approximately 172,000 persons and families living without a home of their own.

A total of $20,934,496 in 2005 HUD Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grants were awarded to more than 70 homeless providers across the Commonwealth. (LIST AT END OF RELEASE).

"Today, we take another step along the road toward ending chronic homelessness on our streets," said Jackson. "This funding will help provide homes and vital services to those who need them most-persons and families who deserve a place they can call home."

In the past five years, HUD has awarded $6 billion in funding to state and local communities to support the housing and service needs of homeless persons and families. 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.

Emergency Shelter Grants provides funds for homeless shelters, assists in the operation of local shelters and funds related social service and homeless prevention programs.

Combined, HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs will provide critically needed funding to nearly 5,000 local programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result, nearly 172,000 persons will receive the housing and services they need to move toward self-sufficiency. For a more detailed local summary of the funding announced today, visit HUD's website.

Nearly $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 $600 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 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 nearly five years, HUD has increasingly emphasized the Bush Administration's goal of ending chronic homelessness in its assistance programs. Research indicates that 10-15 percent of all homeless persons experience long-term or chronic homelessness. These studies also find that this hardest-to-serve population utilizes over 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 homelessness as a temporary condition. To learn more about chronic homelessness, visit the CPD's Chronic Homelessness webpage.

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 and espanol.hud.gov.

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