On January 12, 2006, HUD New England Regional Director Taylor Caswell joined the Mayor of Manchester, NH to announce more than $5.2 million in HUD funding to house and serve homeless individuals and families in New Hampshire.

"Whether the recipients use this funding for basic shelter needs, transitional or permanent housing, job training or support services, these grants will help move homeless individuals away from a life on the street toward self-sufficiency and a better way of life," said Caswell.

The funding announcement was made at The Way Home, a local non-profit social services agency which assists at-risk or homeless members of the greater Manchester community obtain the skills and resources needed to prevent the loss of their housing or to secure safe affordable rental housing. In this funding announcement, The Way Home received two grants:

• $189,000 for the Steps to Success project, a transitional housing project, which provides intensive case management to help homeless persons overcome barriers to obtaining and succeeding in housing. The project uses a peer educator model, in which individuals who have successfully dealt with similar issues, assist and motivate participants to take steps toward meeting their housing related goals.

• $92,635 for the Your Way Home project, four supportive housing units. This project will help chronically homeless persons who have expressed a willingness to work with the case management program staff at The Way Home to rent an apartment and to set it up as a place of their own to call home. The Way Home is proposing three one-bedroom units and one studio unit to be leased as permanent rental housing.

During the event, the following story was read, which helps to put into perspective how HUD funding impacts lives everyday:

M first came to The Way Home from the New Horizon's homeless woman's shelter. With only Social Security income (SSI), M was unable to afford any rental units in the city. Her young son was placed with the Division of Children and she was given a year to rectify her situation before her son would be returned to her. Knowing she was unable to afford an apartment, and in danger of losing her child, M was in tears when she came into the agency. One of the Steps To Success coaches worked with her and, after two months, a Transitional Housing apartment became available in The Way Home supportive housing program. Once located in her new apartment, The Way Home staff helped M locate community resources (i.e. drug and alcohol counseling, parenting classes, etc.). Once she had completed her program, she began visitation with her son, Jeremy. Jeremy was eventually placed back full-time with M while she resided at The Way Home. M continued to work with her Steps To Success counselor and, after 14 months, she moved into a rental housing unit within the community. However, she became very ill and The Way Home helped connect her to family services.

M recently passed away and Jeremy, who is now 10 years old, was adopted. His new family wanted to make a small donation in his mom's memory. Jeremy immediately said he wanted the monies to go to "The Way Home"! Never having heard about The Way Home, Jeremy explained to his new family that "it was the only place he had had a home situation with his mom" and where he had "felt comfortable and safe." The Way Home had given his mom an opportunity to be a mom, and gave him the opportunity to he a child!

And, Jeremy developed such very fond memories about his stay with his mom while at The Way Home that he decided to add part of his allowance to his new family's recent memorial donation.