Federal Funding Awards for Homeless Programs Announced

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a funding award of just over six million dollars ($6,426,726) to assist homeless programs in Columbus and Franklin County. These funds represent the major source of federal assistance to meet the housing and supportive service needs of homeless individuals and families.

“This funding helps our community break the cycle of homelessness by providing housing solutions”, said Barbara Poppe, Executive Director of the Community Shelter Board. She noted that the Continuum of Care awards in the application are a significant source of funding for supportive housing.

The Continuum of Care grants will provide funding for eighteen (18) projects representing 530 units of supportive and transitional housing. Sponsors receiving funding include National Church Residences, Community Housing Network, Catholic Social Services, Friends of the Homeless and Volunteers of America. (For a complete list of projects, see the attachment to this press release).

National Church Residences is developing 50 new units of supportive housing for chronically homeless men and women as part of the Rebuilding Lives plan. The project, Commons at Grant, was the highest priority project for the local community. The units will be available for long-term homeless persons with concurrent disabilities who are interested in employment, education, or community service, and who express an interest in overcoming barriers that contribute to ongoing homelessness, including recovery from physical or behavioral health problems. The building will include an additional 50 units for low-income persons, for a total of 100 units. The project is set to open in May 2003.

“National Church Residences is thrilled that HUD has shown this level of commitment to the Commons at Grant and the Rebuilding Lives initiative,” according to Patrick Higgins, Communications Director at National Church Residences. “These funds will go a long way towards ensuring the success of the residents of Commons at Grant.”

The Community Housing Network received capital funding to create 16 new units of permanent supportive housing for homeless men and women who are disabled with mental illness or substance addiction or who are dually diagnosed. On-going services will be provided including linkages to medical and legal services, assistance navigating the benefits system, assistance with family reconciliation, and the development of daily living skills.

HUD makes the funds available only to those states, local government and organizations that apply for the funding. The HUD application involves an extensive planning and submission process, with no guarantee that funding will be awarded.

Franklin County Commissioner Arlene Shoemaker complimented the Community Shelter Board and the local steering committee for coordinating a high quality proposal. “I am impressed by the results of the committee’s work to secure funding for high quality projects to serve homeless residents in our community.”

The Community Shelter Board (CSB) was created in 1986 to respond to the growing problem of homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. Since that time, CSB has allocated over $47 million to programs that provide services to families and individuals experiencing a housing crisis in our community. Last year, these programs served more than 11,000 individuals. The Community Shelter Board is funded by the City of Columbus, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the United Way of Central Ohio, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the State of Ohio, and other public and private donors.

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