BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES $4 MILLIION IN GRANTS TO HOUSE AND SERVE HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN JACKSONVILLE AREA

JACKSONVILLE - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced grant funding awards totaling $65,034,967 statewide�$4,008,572 which will support thirteen (13) local homeless assistance, health and counseling services in Duval and Clay Counties. The bulk of the grant ($3.7 million) will be devoted to the
Jacksonville-Duval/Clay County Continuum of Care, which will provide critically needed assistance to homeless families. The remaining $300,869 is being provided to the City of Jacksonville for Emergency Shelter programs.

Nationwide, a record $1.33 billion in funding was awarded through grants announced by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. HUD's Homeless Program Grants support thousands of local programs nationwide that house and serve homeless persons�from emergency shelters and transitional housing projects to permanent supportive housing programs.

"Today, we take another step along the road toward that day when we end chronic homelessness on our streets," said Jackson. "The funding will help provide homes and vital services to those who need them most-persons and families who deserve a place they can call home."

HUD's funding is provided in two ways:

• HUD's Continuum of Care programs 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.

More than $58 million in Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to Florida 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 away from a life on the street toward permanent housing.

For nearly five years, HUD has increasingly emphasized the Bush Administration's goal of ending chronic
homelessness in its assistance programs. 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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