HUD ANNOUNCES $5.2 MILLION IN GRANTS TO HOUSE AND SERVE
HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

MANCHESTER, NH - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Taylor Caswell today
joined Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta and officials from the State of New Hampshire and the City of Nashua to
deliver more than $5.2 million in HUD funding to house and serve homeless individuals and families in New Hampshire.

This funding is part of more than $1.33 billion that is being awarded nationwide. Included in the funding announced today is $4.6 million to support 34 programs throughout New Hampshire which are expected to provide critically needed assistance to persons and families living without a home of their own. (Please see attached list for local
grant recipients and amounts.)

"Today, we take another step along the road toward that day when we end chronic homelessness on our streets," said Taylor Caswell, HUD's New England regional director. "The funding we announce 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."

Mayor Guinta says "I'm pleased to work with HUD in a collaborative effort to provide aid to the citizens of
Manchester who need it the most."

The funding announcement was made at The Way Home, a local non-profit homeless prevention, tenant rights, and social services agency that has an outstanding track record in administering HUD funding. The agency assists at-risk or homeless members of the greater Manchester community obtain the skills and resources needed to prevent the
loss of their housing or to secure safe affordable rental housing. In this funding announcement, The Way Home received two grants:

• $189,000 for the Steps to Success project, a transitional housing project, which provides intensive case management to help homeless persons overcome barriers to obtaining and succeeding in housing. Project staff assist each program participant to develop to develop individualized Steps to Success plans that include self-sufficiency goals with clear action steps. The project uses a peer educator model, in which individuals, who have successfully dealt with similar issues, assist and motivate participants to take steps toward meeting their housing related goals. In this model, project staff are called Steps to Success coaches and advocates rather than case managers.
  
  
• $92,635 for the Your Way Home project, four supportive housing units. This project will help Chronically Homeless persons who have expressed a willingness to work the case management program staff at The Way Home to rent an apartment and to set it up as a place of their own to call Home. The Way Home is proposing three one-bedroom and one studio unit to be leased as permanent rental housing. Apartments would be
  sought that give the client elbow room, breathing space and the opportunity to become successful with supportive services over a period of time. The client will have the full rights and responsibilities of a tenant abiding to their lease.

HUD's homeless funding, the largest federal grant program, is provided through two programs: Continuum of Care grants, and Emergency Shelter Grants.

Continuum of Care grants fund a wide variety of programs, from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families. In addition, Continuum grants fund important services such as job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. Continuum grants are awarded competitively to Continuums of Care, which submit applications on behalf of a number of area homeless service providers. In New Hampshire, a total of $4,672,768 was awarded in Continuum grants ($1,602,448 in Nashua, $710,253 in Manchester, and $2,360,067 to the State of New Hampshire).

Emergency Shelter Grants convert buildings into homeless shelters, assist in 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. In New Hampshire, a total of $571,255 has been awarded in Emergency Shelter Grants ($81,552 to the City of Manchester, and $489,403 to the State of New Hampshire).

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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