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Helping to house VT_Staging

The Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness seeks to ensure that people living in Vermont have a safe, stable, affordable home, and — if homelessness does occur — it is brief, rare, and non-recurring and those experiencing homelessness are treated with dignity and respect.

Important news, last Thursday HUD announced a second round of grants totaling $140 million to nearly 900 local homeless assistance programs across the country.  Check out the grants received in Vermont:

VT BALANCE OF STATE COC

  • VSHA RRH1 FY13  $87,366  [former RCHC/HPC SSO & Morningside SSO projects]: new CoC Rapid Rehousing project for Families in Rutland County and Brattleboro (Windham County) in the form of temporary rental assistance (up to 16 months) with most services provided through a match from non-HUD funds.
  • VSHA S+C Rutland FY13  $117,741 [5% sequestration reallocated]:  new CoC Shelter Plus Care project to be operated by Pathways to Housing VT in Rutland County; to serve 14 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness; grant only funds rental assistance.

CHITTENDEN COC

  • Branches PSH  $56,673  [5% sequestration reallocated]:  CoC Permanent Supportive Housing project to serve the chronically homeless in Chittenden County.
  • Planning Project  $11,761  [renewal]:  CoC planning funds awarded to City of Burlington-CEDO as CoC collaborative applicant.

Below is HUD’s official announcement of the grants:

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced a second round of grants totaling $140 million to nearly 900 local homeless assistance programs across the country. Provided through HUD’s Continuum of Care Program (CoC), the funding announced today will ensure additional permanent housing and transitional housing renewal projects are able to continue operating in the coming year, providing critically needed housing and support services to those persons and families experiencing homelessness. Also included in this announcement are 436 new projects aimed to provide permanent supportive housing for persons experiencing chronic homelessness and to rapidly re-house families with children that are living on the streets or in emergency shelter.

This year, Continuums of Care were asked to make strategic and hard decisions in order to implement a required 5 percent cut as a result of sequestration. The selection criteria included in the FY2013 – FY2014 CoC Program Competition NOFA allowed HUD to fund all eligible new permanent housing projects requested in Tier 1 and Tier 2, as well as fund permanent housing and transitional housing renewal projects requested in Tier 2. Unfortunately, however, more than 300 otherwise eligible HMIS, Supportive Services Only, Planning and UFA project applications were not awarded funds in this competition.

What is promising is that in spite of the tough budgetary decisions CoCs were forced to make, most CoCs chose to reallocate funds to create new projects following best-practice models that serve those homeless persons most in need which will help communities increase progress towards achieving the goals of Opening Doors.

Learn more here.

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