County receives over $100,000 to help with country’s homeless
On Jan. 26, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it would be awarding $1.8 billion in grants to help almost 8,400 local homeless housing and service programs across the country.
Led by Secretary Julian Castro, HUD awarded the grants to further the goal of preventing and ending homelessness.
“It’s a national shame that anyone would call the streets their home…as a nation, we can and must end homelessness,” said Castro.
According to HUD’s 2014 estimate, based on data from 3,000 cities and counties from across the country, there were 578,424 persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2014.
Even though this number seems high, the data suggests that homelessness is declining, even more so for veterans.
Since 2010, local communities around the country reported a 10 percent decline in the total number of persons experiencing homelessness and a 25 percent drop in the number of those living on the streets.
In addition, state and local planning agencies’ counts reveal a 33 percent drop in homelessness among veterans, including a 43 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness among veterans.
Most of the $1.8 billion in HUD grants is going to renew the funding of existing projects in cities and counties throughout the country.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been awarded $92.4 million in funding for local homeless housing and service programs – among the highest amounts given to any state.
These funds will be distributed to 568 local homeless programs throughout Pennsylvania, including two programs in Greene County.
“We don’t know what we’d do without it,” said Amy Switalski, speaking of Greene County’s renewed funding from HUD.
Switalski is the Housing and Family Resources Director at the Department of Human Services for Greene County.
These programs “help those with long term disabilities to be able to live alone with support,” said Switalski, adding that these programs provide “somewhere safe” for the more vulnerable residents of Waynesburg.
The two Greene County programs to receive renewed funding are the Greene County Permanent Supporting Housing Project, receiving $138,109, and the Greene County Shelter and Care Project, receiving $55,980.
According to the Fair Housing for Greene County website, the cost of funding the Permanent Supporting Housing Project is $134,315
The cost of funding the Shelter and Care Project is $172,315.
The purpose of the Greene County Permanent Supporting Housing Project is to provide housing – single or family units – within the city limits of Waynesburg for homeless persons with disabilities and pass through money to fund housing units for homeless adults.
The purpose of the Greene County Shelter and Care project is to pass through money to provide vouchers to homeless individuals.
There are currently seven HUD subsidized housing properties and three privately subsidized properties that offer affordable housing for adults, senior citizens, people with disabilities and families in Waynesburg.
But the pending applications submitted by those seeking subsidized housing exceeds the number of housing units available.
While the number of people experiencing homelessness is declining, HUD’s “Worst Case Housing Needs: 2015 Report to Congress” shows that in 2013, 7.7 million households paid more than half their monthly income for rent, lived in severely substandard housing, or both.
This number is down from a historic high of 8.5 million in 2011, but is 49 percent greater than in 2003.