Cohen Announces Over $5 Million for Homeless Housing and Assistance
MEMPHIS, TN – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a combined $5,164,089 in grants for housing assistance under its Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance program.
“Homelessness imposes a hardship on someone that they can’t solve by themselves; they need outside help,” Congressman Cohen said. “Without basic resources like a mailing address, a phone number, and reliable transportation, it becomes next to impossible for a homeless person to find a job, especially at a time when the economy is still recovering. These funds will give Memphis’ homeless the chance they need to get back on their feet and return to a normal and productive life.”
The Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance program is a set of three competitively-awarded programs created to address the problems of homelessness in a comprehensive manner with other federal agencies. It provides funding for a variety of assistance to homeless persons including transitional housing, permanent housing, and supportive services. The Continuum of Care programs are the Supportive Housing Program (SHP), the Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C), and the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for SRO Dwellings for Homeless Individuals (SRO).
The Supportive Housing Program is authorized by Title IV, Subtitle C, of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, as amended. It is designed to promote, as part of a local Continuum of Care strategy, the development of supportive housing and supportive services to assist the homeless in the transition from homelessness and to enable them to live as independently as possible.
A breakdown of the grant awards is as follows:
Award Recipient Program Award Amount
Agape Child & Family Services, Inc. SHP $438,517
Alpha Omega Veterans Services, Inc. SHP $508,370
Behavioral Health Initiatives SHP $78,750
Case Management Incorporated SHP $100,710
Catholic Charities, Inc. SHPR $1,242,422
City of Memphis S+CR $611,424
Cocaine and Alcohol Awareness Program, Inc. SHPR $168,748
Community Alliance for the Homeless SHPR $184,256
Door of Hope, Inc. SHPR $158,237
Frayser-Millington North Shelby Mental Health Center SHPR $217,500
Memphis Family Shelter SHPR $197,886
Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association SHPR $643,295
Shelby County Government SHPR $228,782
Salvation Army SHPR $385,192
Total $5,164,089
In the face of these tough times, HUD funding for the Continuum of Care, Homeless Prevention and Veterans Vouchers was responsible for significant reductions in family and veterans homelessness in Memphis. The Obama administration, the City of Memphis and Shelby County aim to end homelessness among veterans and the chronic homeless by 2015, and among children, families and youth by 2020. However, Memphis needs more resources. The Interagency Council on Homelessness, which coordinates the work of 19 federal agencies, and is a model for the Memphis Continuum of Care, is a model that works.