HUD Awards $1.4 Billion in Grants for Homeless

Madison.com via AP ^ | February 20, 2007 | Staff Writer @ AP

[Diana in Wisconsin]

(Wisconsin gets $22 million)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government awarded nearly $1.4 billion in grants to support local homeless programs Tuesday, a slight increase nationally from the amount doled out a year ago.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Wisconsin $22.1 million in grants for local homeless programs Tuesday, 39.6 percent more than last year. The money awarded Tuesday was for 2006.

Local agencies compete for most of the grants, which support more than 5,300 programs across the nation. The grants pay for a range of programs, from emergency and transitional housing to job training and substance abuse counseling.

The goal is to get people off the street and provide them with the services they need to keep them from returning.

"Whether it's a single man living with a mental illness or a family struggling to give their children a roof over their heads, this funding is quite literally saving lives," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson said in announcing the grants.

Local programs for the homeless use the federal grants to obtain more funding from state and local governments and private donors, said Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Roman called the grants "essential," but said they are inadequate.

"As important as this is, it's remedial," Roman said. "It helps people after they have fallen over the cliff. We need to keep them from falling over the cliff."

Roman's group recently used HUD data to estimate that the United States had 744,000 homeless people in 2005. A little more than half were living in shelters, with about 40 percent living on the street.

"It's really the lack of affordable housing," Roman said. "We have a huge affordable housing crisis in this country."

The bulk of the grants _ a little more than $1.2 billion _ was awarded competitively, based on whether local agencies are able to meet the needs of their communities, according to HUD. In addition to providing shelter, the goal of those programs is to address many of the issues that lead to homelessness, such as mental illness and substance abuse.

An additional $160 million in emergency shelter grants was awarded to state and local governments based on a formula.

In all, the grants awarded Tuesday totaled $1.36 billion, up from $1.33 billion awarded a year ago. President Bush has requested $1.6 billion for the budget year that starts Oct. 1.

The nation's most populous state, California, received the most money, nearly $215 million, followed by New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Sparsely populated Wyoming received the least, a little more than $400,000. Rounding out the bottom five were South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Vermont.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Well, problem solved then! That's the last we'll hear of this, I'm sure. ;)

[rovenstinez]

Wow, sounds like a bonanza, I think Ill turn homeless and cash in on some benefits.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Ah, the "Homeless Advocate Full Employment Act of 2007" passed, did it? ;)

[JLGALT]

Anybody know how much crack $1.4 Billion will buy?

[edcoil]

"5,300 programs across the nation"

This is nuts. No wonder we have a problem.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

What they really want is for the government (with our money) to pay for food, shelter, haircuts, bus, braces, soccer uniforms, cable tv, shoes and cell phones for everyone. Thus we would be almost completely in communism, which is their real goal. A better idea. Reward achievement and let the government take care of those who genuinely can't take care of themselves, such as the elderly, the blind, the disabled, etc.

[dynachrome]

Must be where Denver is getting the money to build their apartments for the homeless. No real restrictions . You have to pay 30% of your income as rent. Right.

[zek157]

But that is only an average of 1827.95 each for the 744,000 homeless. We can do better than that? Build a larger rat hole.

[Fierce Allegiance]

WTF! You could put a lot of people to work by lowering taxes on entrepeneurs by 1.4 billion, or whatever the number is.

What is our exit strategy in the war on poverty?

[BunnySlippers]

Problem is most of these people want to be out on the streets. They have to force them into shelters at night.

[dynachrome]

"They have to force them into shelters at night"
Maybe not with the cold and snow we have been having lately!

[ishabibble]

You are not factoring in the paychecks of the employees of these "homeless programs". There is more spent on the employees by far than is ever "trickled downed" to the actual homeless people. The laptops, the offices, the paperwork, the meetings, the seminars, plus cars and vans, etc.
It has nothing to do with what happens to some lost soul out in the zero degree weather. That one poor soul supports at least four B.A. "social service" employees. It is a cottage industry.

If you read this article carefully, here is what you will see:

>>>Local programs for the homeless use the federal grants to obtain more funding from state and local governments and private donors, said Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.<<<

The HUD money is just a cachet to obtain more money via "more funding from state and local governments and private donors". It is the avalanche effect. HUD gives 1.4 BILLION. That will be met and matched by state, private, and local donations. How much gets to the homeless? Not much. I temped at one of these places for a few months; they are the spawn from hell. They are all solid DU candidates, and very unhappy and mean people, to boot. I was shocked when I was offered the position permanently. I laughed right in the board's faces. It was January and these people had just sent the "clients" out to stand at a bus stop in - ten degree weather. Not one of the "counselors" would get off their hung over butts and give those poor people a ride home. Twenty minutes tops.
Gawd, how I hate those leeches!

[secretagent]

HUD: Huge Urban Destruction

[TChris]

How generous of Washington! ...and with our money too! That has to make it easier to give away.

[Old Professer]

This money will never reach the homeless any more that the tobacco settlement money ever reached ill smokers; it will be swallowed by the giant maw of ever expanding government bureaucracy.

[NewLand]

HUD Awards $1.4 Billion in Grants for Homeless

Looks like a boom economy on the way...

[Centurion2000]

United States had 744,000 homeless people in 2005.

Deport them to ghost towns around the US. We have plenty of them.

[GunnyHartman]

"What is our exit strategy in the war on poverty?"

LOL, well said!

[Fierce Allegiance]

Thanks. i didn't make it up, but i sure like to use it.

[gcruse]

""5,300 programs across the nation" '

Over one hundred programs per state. Is that an industry or what?