BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES RECORD $228 MILLION TO HELP THOUSANDS OF HOMELESS LIVING IN CALIFORNIA
HUD funds will support 625 local programs throughout Golden State

LOS ANGELES - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today joined Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to announce more than $228 million in homeless assistance to 625 housing and service programs throughout California. The funding is part of a record $1.4 billion nationwide-the largest single commitment of federal funds supporting an unprecedented number of local projects caring for people who might otherwise be living on the streets.

"President Bush is deeply committed to supporting our most vulnerable neighbors and today I am pleased to stand
with Governor Schwarzenegger to reconfirm that commitment," said Jackson. "This unprecedented level of funds will go directly to those on the front lines, who work tirelessly everyday to bring an end to chronic homelessness, and who provide services to the many individuals and families without a home of their own."

Schwarzenegger said, "This is a great day for California and the broader effort to end chronic homelessness. Our mission is to provide the homeless an open door to welcome the weary and then a window to a life of dignity and
self-sufficiency. This federal money will help us meet this goal by providing the homeless with housing, health care and the tools necessary to build a new life."

This is the fourth consecutive year the Bush Administration is providing record funding for homeless assistance.
The funds are part of a larger federal strategy being embraced by a growing number of state and local communities
to end long-term or chronic homelessness.

HUD's funding is provided in two ways:

• Continuum of Care grants provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition,
  Continuum grants fund important services including job training, health care, mental health counseling,
  substance abuse treatment and child care.
  
  
• Emergency Shelter Grants convert buildings into homeless shelters, assist in the operation of local shelters
  and fund related social service and homeless prevention programs.

Combined, HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs will provide critically needed funding to more than 4,400 local programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result, more than a quarter of a million persons will receive the housing and services they need to become self-sufficient.

More than $1.2 billion in Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs
of their homeless clients. Continuum grants fund a wide variety of programs-from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.

Emergency Shelter Grants are allocated based on a formula to state and local governments to create, improve and operate emergency shelters for homeless persons. These funds may also support essential services including job training, health care, drug/alcohol treatment, childcare and homelessness prevention activities. By helping to
support emergency shelter, transitional housing and needed support services, Emergency Shelter Grants are
designed to move homeless persons toward permanent housing.

Approximately $322 million of the Continuum grants awarded today will fund new and existing programs through
HUD's Shelter Plus Care program that helps to pay rent and provide permanent housing for disabled homeless individuals and their families. The Shelter Plus Care program requires that HUD-funded projects help their clients live independently and provide needed supportive services from funding sources other than HUD.

The Goal to End Chronic Homelessness

For nearly four years, HUD has increasingly emphasized the Bush Administration's goal of ending chronic
homelessness in its assistance programs. Research indicates that approximately 10 percent of all homeless persons experience long-term or chronic homelessness or 150,000 people. These studies also find that this hardest-to-serve population utilizes over half of all emergency shelter resources designed to assist homeless individuals and families.
By shifting the federal emphasis toward meeting the needs of the most vulnerable homeless persons, more resources become available for those who experience homelessness as a temporary condition.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as
well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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Highlights Of State of California's Homeless Assistance

• This is the fourth consecutive year funding for homeless assistance has increased nationwide. In California, $228 million is being awarded to 625 local projects including emergency shelter grants to local units of government throughout the Golden State.
• 160 of the grants being announced today target individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Total funding
  to these projects will exceed $65.3 million, a commitment that directly supports the national goal of ending
  chronic homelessness by 2012.
• $92.1 million is being awarded to more 192 projects that provide permanent housing solutions for homeless persons.
• 112 local projects that primarily serve mothers and their children will receive $27.1 million.
• Approximately 57 shelters that primarily serve victims of domestic violence will receive $13.7 million.
• 67 grants totaling more than $22.7 million are being awarded to faith-based organizations.
• Nearly $6.6 million is being awarded to 26 projects that primarily target homeless veterans among those
  they serve.
• 132 of the projects funded today are primarily dedicated to providing housing and support services to
  severely mentally ill clients. These persons are at high risk of experiencing long-term or chronic
  homelessness.
• Nearly $61.4 million will support 156 local programs that primarily help homeless individuals with substance
  abuse problems.