WASHINGTON– Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro awarded $355 million to more than 1,200 local homeless housing and service programs across the U.S. and Puerto Rico (see attached chart). These Continuum of Care (CoC) grants support the Obama Administration’s efforts to end homelessness and build upon the $1.6 billion in funding HUD awarded through a first round of funding in March. You can view a list of all the awards here.
“We know how to end homelessness and these grants support local programs that are proven to prevent and end homelessness as we’ve come to know it,” said Secretary Castro. “As we continue to make progress toward ending homelessness in this country, HUD is challenging communities to use more cost effective solutions to help those experiencing homelessness.”
Matthew Doherty, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, added, “The results of this competition show that communities are doing the hard work of assessing the needs of people experiencing homelessness and are reallocating funding to ensure that people have access to the quickest possible paths to permanent homes, We applaud communities across the country for their commitment to ending homelessness for everyone once and for all, and know that these investments are critical for fulfilling those commitments.”
The competition to award FY 2015 CoC grants was the most competitive ever, both locally and nationally. This is consistent with HUD’s policy goals as well as Congressional direction to stringently review performance, increase competition for CoCs, and not simply fund renewals in the FY 2015 CoC competition.
HUD strongly encouraged local applicants to prioritize their funding request very carefully, using a mix of performance data and local needs. In addition, applicants were encouraged to submit projects that were based on research-driven approaches and supported the nation’s goals to prevent and end homelessness. As a result, local CoCs eliminated a combined $124 million in renewal funding from lower performing projects in order to apply for new housing projects. These new projects will provide permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness.
Ultimately, the awards made today, and those awarded in March, will help us achieve the bold goals established in 2010 by President Obama and 19 federal agencies and offices that form the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) in the nation’s first-ever comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. This means continuing the progress made in reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness and setting a path to ending homelessness in this country. HUD estimates there were 564,708 persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2015. Since 2010, local communities around the country reported an 11 percent reduction in overall homelessness, a decline of more than 72,000 persons. During that same time, veteran homelessness fell by 36 percent; chronic homelessness declined 22 percent; and family homelessness declined by 19 percent.
