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Cohen Announces Over $5 Million for Homeless Housing and Assistance

January 10, 2012

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.