HUD AWARDS $2.5 MILLION TO FLINT/GENESEE COUNTY CONTINUUM OF CARE TO HOUSE AND SERVE HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
Career Alliance and Metro Housing Partnership Inc. awarded $393,687 to benefit at-risk low-income young people and create affordable housing

FLINT - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Director Joseph P. Galvan today presented the Flint/Genesee County Continuum of Care with a $2,534,551 grant to support local programs that
house and serve homeless persons through Permanent Supportive Housing, transitional housing, a Homeless Daily Living Program, assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, help for disabled individuals and
families and more. These funds are part of $1.33 billion nationwide that HUD is providing for critically needed assistance to persons and families living without a home of their own. HUD's funding also included $45,245,025 to support Continuums of Care and their local programs throughout Michigan.

"Today, we take another step along the road toward that day when we end chronic homelessness on our streets," said Galvan, HUD's Director for the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin). "The
funding we presented today 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 also awarded a $393,687 grant to a collaborative effort between Career Alliance Inc., (CAI) and Metro Housing Partnership, Inc., (MHP) to enable them to provide 20 low-income youth ages 18-24 with the skills and training to rehabilitate three houses by helping young people graduate high school, train for a future in the construction
trades, and produce affordable homes for lower income families.

"This program gives new hope to high school dropouts, enabling them to build housing for families in need while building new careers and new lives for themselves," said Galvan. "Through CAI/MHP and the other non-profit organizations, HUD's Youthbuild Program is helping young people work their way out of poverty and avoid homelessness. These students produce affordable housing in their communities while they gain a skill, a GED, a job and a new lease on life."

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. Nearly $47.8 million in Continuum of Care grants were awarded competitively to Michigan 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.

This award responds to local, comprehensive planning efforts and are designed to help homeless individuals and families move to self-sufficiency and permanent housing. Ravi Yalamanchi, CEO of Metro Housing Partnership, Inc. said, "We are pleased with the impressive community planning efforts presented in the application. We are proud
that the projects identified by our community as high priorities have been selected for funding." He also added, that "the credit goes to all of the community agencies who have been collaborating and partnering over several years, along with United Way of Genesee County in making the efforts successful year after year."

The CAI/MHP grant is part of more than $58 million in funding awarded nationwide through HUD's Youthbuild
Program. Young people who enroll in local Youthbuild programs lack high school diplomas and the job skills necessary to find meaningful employment. The funding announced today will help an estimated 4,300 young men and women, ages 16-to-24, to receive their high school equivalency diplomas and provide them training in homebuilding skills
that will qualify them for careers in the building industry.

Program participants will receive on-the-job training in the building trades and help build and renovate nearly 2000 homes nationwide that are then sold at affordable prices to low- and very low-income persons as well as to
homeless individuals and families. In addition, these grants are anticipated to generate millions of additional dollars from other public and private sources.

Pam Loving, President and CEO, of Career Alliance said, "This program provides opportunities for young adults of
the community in areas of job readiness, lifelong learning, and personal enrichment."

For nearly five 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. 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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Flint Odyssey, INC. - Permanent Supportive Housing for Chronic Homelessness - New Project. To create
22 units of permanent supportive housing for the recovering chronically homeless men, women and families, and supportive services for persons who have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. These units will add an
additional 55 beds and reduce the gap in housing.

Genesee County CMH - Homeless Daily Living Program provides the services of Consumer Support Technicians,
who are recent and former consumers of GCCMH. These Consumers work under the guidance and supervision of professional staff at GCCMH to provide counseling, assistance locating housing and support services to chronic homeless persons with serious mental health problems or dual diagnosis.

Transitional Boarding House (TBH) - Genesee County CMH TBH has been identified as crucial in moving seriously mentally ill homeless individuals towards permanent housing. TBH provides housing in the form of semi-private rooms and full home-like common areas, to six homeless persons with serious mental health problems. The program
provides 24-hour staff supervision. This program has proven that even the most difficult to reach consumers can obtain housing stability given sufficient level of support services.

Housing Specialist - Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD) - GCCARD Homeless
Housing Specialist meets with clients who are identified and referred by GCCARD's Homeless Outreach Counselor.
The Housing Specialist then prepares an assessment of the client's individual needs, resources needed and the barriers to securing and keeping housing. The Housing Specialist builds relationships and linkages with property management firms and the local landlord association.

The YWCA's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services - Safe House will provide victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with advocacy, counseling, legal assistance and case management services. This is a
vital link in assisting domestic violence victims to reintegrate them into the community and providing skills which facilitate independent behaviors that can financially and emotionally support themselves and their families; and
serves a critical population and gap within the CoC.

Homeless Substance Abuse Assessment & Referral - IARC provides crucial services in getting chronic homeless substance abusers into treatment programs and off the streets. Since the case management began, the numbers
of these individuals who have received assistance have made progress in sustaining themselves. It continues to
serve a critical population and gap within the CoC. Its continuation and expansion has been identified as important
for reducing chronic homelessness.

New Passages Community Supportive Services - This project uses provide comprehensive housing support to homeless individuals and families with disabilities in Flint and Genesee County

Flint STRIVE - Job Training to Chronic Homelessness - New Project. Flint STRIVE employs a multi-faceted approach by working intensively on soft skills, hard skills, outreach services, and case management with hard-core individuals who are difficult to be placed with employment. Since 2001, Flint STRIVE has successfully graduated
767 individual, 699 of which were placed with jobs. The average job retention rate after one year is 81%.

S+C - State of MI - Dept of Community Health - Project for Persons with Disabilities is aimed at providing consumers with a wide variety of support services from providing life skills training to employment training. This project, along with support services, will provide permanent supportive housing for twenty (20) homeless individuals and their families.