12/29/2005
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, [317] 327-6709 |
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City’s 10-year plan to end homelessness gets a boost; HUD rewards Indy with $4.5 million grant
INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis’ Blueprint to End Homelessness, the city’s ten-year plan to prevent and end homelessness, received a boost this week from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD awarded the city $4.5 million in grant funding to help pay for more than 150 housing units and supportive services for the homeless.
The majority of the grant funding is part of HUD’s Continuum of Care program, a grant that municipalities must apply for and earn through a competitive process. This marks the eighth straight year the City of Indianapolis has been rewarded with Continuum of Care funding.
"Indianapolis has proven to be a national leader in its efforts to end homelessness, and we appreciate the support and recognition from HUD," said Mayor Bart Peterson, who three years ago became the first mayor in the country to initiate a ten-year plan to end homelessness. "This grant award brings to a close a very successful year in our ongoing effort to end the shame of pervasive homelessness in our community."
Earlier this month, the city, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention, and a number of service providers hosted the inaugural Indy Homeless Connect, the very successful community event that provided critical services to the homeless and engaged the public in fight to end homelessness. Nearly 900 homeless or near-homeless residents and families were served at Indy Homeless Connect, and the initiative received national attention from President Bush’s top official on homelessness issues, Phillip Mangano, who attended the event with the Mayor.
"The Mayor and citizens of Indianapolis are to be commended for Indy Homeless Connect and their continued commitment to a 10-year plan to end homelessness for those who are most disabled and vulnerable," said Mangano. "Indianapolis is in the forefront of cities across the country which are part of the national partnership to end chronic homelessness."
Additional 2005 successes for the city’s Blueprint to End Homelessness include:
- The first allocation from the local Housing Trust Fund, which included $300,000 in grants that were matched by $750,000 from the Indianapolis Foundation as part of an initiative to assist more than 100 families who are either experiencing homelessness or in housing crisis.
- The opening of the final phase of Colonial Park, a housing development owned and managed by Partners In Housing featuring 106 very affordable units dedicated to formerly homeless persons and residents earning less than 30 percent of the area’s median income.
The city will utilize the $4.5 million in Continuum of Care funds to support the following organizations and their housing and supportive service initiatives:
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Homeless grant
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- Homeless Initiative Program, $844,320
– Grant will fund rent costs for 16 units of permanent housing for homeless individuals with serious mental illness and assist with case management, homeless outreach, and job training and education of homeless clients.
- Salvation Army, $631,860
– Funding will cover rent for 13 units of permanent housing for homeless families as part of the Barton Apartments redevelopment.
- Adult and Child Permanent Housing, $252,599
– Grant will fund costs of supportive services for eight permanent housing units dedicated to individuals with mental illness.
- Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation, $301,720
– Funding will pay for substance abuse counseling for veterans living in 22 transitional housing units.
- Pathway to Recovery, $202,922
– Grant will cover the costs of supportive services for 22 units of transitional housing for homeless individuals with substance abuse issues.
- Midtown Community Mental Health, $635,850
– Funding will support transitional housing and services for 25 homeless clients with mental illness and support street outreach efforts to aid the homeless.
- Grant will support an initiative providing 23 units of transitional housing and supportive services for homeless families.
– Funding will help Horizon House provide additional day services and offer extended evening hours to serve the homeless.
– Funding will help maintain the Homeless Management Information System, which helps track the needs of homeless clients and the care provided.
In addition to the Continuum of Care grant, the city also received more than $418,000 in Emergency Shelter Funding from HUD. These dollars will be used to help fund additional services and operational costs for organizations serving the city’s homeless.
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