OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AWARDS $74 MILLION IN HOMELESS GRANTS TO MORE THAN 300 LOCAL HOUSING AND SERVICE PROGRAMS IN FLORIDA

ORLANDO - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced that the Obama Administration is awarding $74,181,525 in grants to over three hundred local homeless programs throughout Florida. HUD grants offer homeless individuals and families a wide range of housing and support services. For a complete
local summary of the grant funding announced today, visit HUD's website or see the attached list.

"With the foreclosure and unemployment crisis looming, millions of families - both homeowners and renters - are in danger of losing their homes so we must focus substantial resources to help those families find stable housing," said Donovan. "The grants being awarded today, along with the recovery plan's additional $1.5 billion, will offer a critical lifeline to those persons and families who, after a foreclosure or job loss, might otherwise be faced with
homelessness. Today we are announcing an unprecedented commitment to fund programs that have a proven track record of providing real housing solutions for our most vulnerable neighbors."

In today's announcement, HUD is also awarding $24 million to create new pilot programs in 23 local communities to rapidly rehouse homeless families with children, which includes the Homeless Services Network Orlando/Orange, Osceola, Seminole Continuum of Care's Rapid Re-Housing Program in partnership with the Coalition for the Homeless. These local pilot programs will become the basis of a significantly expanded $1.5 billion effort to offer quick housing assistance to homeless families and to prevent homelessness among those facing a sudden economic crisis.

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. More than $1.5 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 provide funds for the operation of local shelters and fund related social service
  and homeless prevention programs. 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.

This year, HUD launched a new electronic grant submission process called e-snaps. This new electronic system
allows applicants to store their submissions as they work on them and significantly reduces the time it takes HUD
staff to review these applications. It also saves considerable effort by avoiding burdensome and time-consuming
data entry. In the end, e-snaps will streamline and accelerate the process of awarding HUD grant to local homeless programs across the country.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; 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 and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

Fiscal Year 2008 Continuum of Care Competition