HUD Awards $315M in Historic Grants to Address Unsheltered and Rural Homelessness
Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded 46 communities with nearly $315 million from a first-of-its-kind package designed to help provide housing and supportive services for people experiencing unsheltered and/or rural homelessness.
In the coming weeks, HUD will award grants to additional communities and will allocate housing vouchers to awarded communities.
“For the first time, the federal government is deploying targeted resources to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered settings or in rural areas,” said HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge . “With these grants and vouchers, HUD is filling this gap and giving communities the resources and tools to improve housing and health outcomes for people on the streets, in encampments, under bridges, and in rural areas.”
This is also the first funding in which HUD has coordinated grants and housing vouchers . Continuum of Care (CoC) collaborative applicants were asked to formally partner with public housing authorities (PHAs) to leverage access to housing resources. To qualify for the resources, communities had to develop a comprehensive approach to addressing unsheltered and rural homelessness that involves coordination with other housing agencies (such as PHAs), health-care providers, and people who have experienced homelessness.
Secretary Fudge announced the new resources in Chicago, where the Continuum of Care received a $60 million grant. USICH Senior Regional Advisor Helene Schneider helped present the award to Los Angeles City and County, which also received $60 million.
Federal officials presenting $60 million to the city and county of Los Angeles.
This is one of several actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken to address homelessness. In December, USICH released All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness , which set President Biden’s ambitious goal to reduce all homelessness 25% by 2025 . All In is a roadmap for making the most of the American Rescue Plan , which President Biden signed in 2021 to provide one of the largest-ever investments in ending homelessness. In January, USICH, HUD, and VA announced that it worked with more than 100 communities to collectively move more than 140,000 people off the streets, out of shelters, and into permanent homes in just over a year through HUD and USICH's House America and VA's Permanent Housing Placement National Challenge. In the coming months, USICH and the White House will announce the details of a new initiative to help cities and states reduce unsheltered homelessness.
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