BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES RECORD $1.27 BILLION TO HELP HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
Nebraska receives more than $4.9 million

OMAHA, NE - Thousands of local programs that house and serve the homeless are being awarded nearly $1.3 billion
in grants announced today by Housing and Urban Development Acting Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Never before has any federal agency awarded so much financial assistance to help the homeless. HUD's grants include $4,959,078 in funding to the state of Nebraska.

Today's announcement is also part of a larger federal strategy being embraced by state and local leaders to end
long-term or chronic homelessness for persons who are mentally ill, addicted or physically disabled. To date, more than 60 states, cities and county governments are developing their own 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness. This is also the third consecutive year funding for homeless assistance has increased to record levels.

"Today's announcement is another example of the Bush Administration's commitment to help homeless individuals and families move beyond a life on the streets," said Jackson. "These grants renew our pledge to thousands of local programs who are on the front lines of helping house and serve our homeless neighbors."

HUD is awarding two types of grants (see attached list of grants for Nebraska):

• Continuum of Care grants provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons. In addition,
  these Continuum grants fund services like 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.

HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs will provide critically needed funding to more than 3,700 local programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result, over 700,000 persons will receive the housing and services they need to become self-sufficient.

Most of the funding announced throughout Nebraska today, $4,121,153 billion in Continuum of Care grants, is awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. Continuum grants fund
outreach and assessment programs at the local level as well as provide transitional and permanent housing to homeless persons and families.

By contrast, $837,925 million in Emergency Shelter Grants are being awarded to 3 communities based on a formula
of a community's need. Emergency Shelter Grants help state and local governments create, improve and operate emergency shelters for homeless people. In addition, these grants may also support essential services including job training, health care, drug/alcohol treatment, childcare and homelessness prevention activities.

Approximately $140 million of the Continuum grants awarded nationally will renew funding of existing programs
through HUD's Shelter Plus Care program which 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.

For nearly three 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 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.

Heartland, Nebraska

Central Nebraska Community Services - $127,085

Omaha, Nebraska
Community Alliance Rehabilitation Service - $267,479
Visiting Nurse Association - $227,171
The Salvation Army - $277,796
Family Service of the Midlands - $266,954
Nebraska Legal Services - $98,962
Family Housing Advisory Services, Inc. - $253,746
Salvation Army - $146,696
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Inc. - $213,234
Family Service - $84,214
New Creations, Inc. - $117,539
Youth Emergency Services, Inc. - $75,881
New Creations - $32,827
New Creations, Inc. - $30,870

Lincoln, Nebraska
Center Pointe, Inc. - $443,273
Saint Monica's - $140,456
Lincoln Action Program, Inc. - $449,539
CenterPointe, Inc. - $187,612
CEDARS Youth Services - $130,707
Catholic Social Services - $93,683

Southwest Nebraska Continuum of Care
RAFT, Inc. - $90,718

Southeast Nebraska Continuum of Care
Catholic Social Services - $340,034
Blue Valley Community Action, Inc. - $24,677

Emergency Shelter Grants Program

Lincoln - $79,706
Omaha - $229,720
Nebraska State Program - $528,499

State Homeless Assistance Total $4,959,078