Date:

April 5, 2007

For More Information Contact:

Diane Gonzolas, Citizen Information Center, 441-7831

Bradd Schmeichel, Urban Development, 441-7856

Reginald Robinson, HUD, Omaha, 492-3138

Mayor Coleen J. Seng today announced that local agencies serving the homeless have been awarded $1,525,030 million in federal grants. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards “Continuum of Care” grants through a competitive process. The grants provide permanent and transitional housing as well as job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care.

“The latest homeless survey indicates that there are more than 800 homeless people in our community,” said Mayor Seng. “I commend the members of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Homeless Coalition for achieving the highest score in the state on these competitive grants. Because of their hard work, this community is able to do more to meet the needs of our homeless population.”

A new grant was awarded this year to a partnership between CenterPointe Inc. and the City of Lincoln for the Shelter Plus Care project. CenterPointe will administer the $89,760 grant to provide four units of permanent housing for chronically homeless individuals with serious mental illness or substance abuse disorders.

All other grants received by Lincoln agencies are renewals:

• CenterPointe, Inc. - $187,612 for its GlidePATH Transitional Housing Project (22 beds); and $443,273 for its Adult and Youth Residential Program (25 beds).
• Lincoln Action Program (LAP) - $449,539 for LAP’s Supportive Housing Project, which provides leasing assistance for 55 housing units across the City.
• Saint Monica’s - $140,456 for the Women in Transition program, which provides transitional housing and services for 13 women and their children.
• CEDARS Youth Services - $130,707 for the New Futures project which provides transitional housing for four homeless pregnant and parenting teen-agers and their children.
• Catholic Social Services - $93,683 for the Transitions project, which serves seven families.

The local agencies that provide services to those in need are members of the Lincoln Lancaster County Homeless Coalition, founded in the mid-1980s. The Coalition formed a Continuum of Care Planning and Evaluation Committee in 1996 to submit the application for federal funds, to identify service gaps, to coordinate the “Point in Time Count” of the homeless and to conduct peer review of service providers.

The total in grants awarded to Nebraska agencies is $4.4 million. Details on the HUD grants can be found here.