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HUD’s Carson: ‘We Know How to End Homelessness’

Man sleeping on a park benc

The Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday announced an award of $2 billion in support of thousands of local housing and service programs across the U.S. This year’s installment of the annual HUD Continuum of Care grants will assist more than 7,300 local programs working to house and serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness in their communities.

According to a HUD media statement, “HUD's Continuum of Care grants provide critically needed support to local programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness.”

HUD Secretary Ben Carson said, “HUD stands with our local partners who are working each and every day to house and serve our most vulnerable neighbors. We know how to end homelessness and it starts with embracing a housing-first approach that relies upon proven strategies that offer permanent housing solutions to those who may otherwise be living in our shelters and on our streets."

Secretary Carson added that working to house the homeless is both the “human thing to do” and “good public policy.”

Matthew Doherty, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said, "Continuums of Care are critical leaders in the work to end homelessness nationwide. When communities marshal these—and other local, state, private, and philanthropic resources—behind the strongest housing-first practices, we see important progress in our collective goal to end homelessness in America."

According to HUD, “HUD Continuum of Care grant funding supports a broad array of interventions designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those living in places not meant for habitation, located in sheltering programs, or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.”

California topped the list of state and local programs being funded by the grants, with 900 programs being funded for a total of $382,566,777. Behind California comes New York (579 programs and $200 million in funding), Illinois (418 programs and $109 million in funding), Pennsylvania (519 programs and $102 million in funding), and Ohio (316 programs and $95 million in funding). You can see the full details of the projects awarded funding by clicking here.

HUD noted that application deadlines for programs located in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands had been extended until February 16, 2018, due to the hurricane recovery efforts still underway in those regions. Those grants will be allocated separately from today’s announced $2 billion in funding and are due to be announced sometime in mid-March.

According to HUD estimates released in December 2017, 553,742 people experience homelessness in America on any given night.

 

About Author: David Wharton

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