BUSH ADMINISTRATION AWARDS RECORD $21.7 MILLION TO HELP HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES
HUD funds to support 70 non-profit organizations and local governments serving homeless in Alexandria, Charlottesville, Danville, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach, the Shenandoah Valley and Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William Counties.

RICHMOND - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today announced that Virginia
organizations will receive a total of $21.7 million to provide shelter and care for persons and families without
a home of their own.

The funding was awarded to some 70 local governments and non-profit organizations in Alexandria, Charlottesville, Danville, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach, the Shenandoah Valley and Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties. (See list
following this release).

The $21,735,802 in fiscal year 2004 funding is awarded under HUD's competitive Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs and is part of more than $1.4 billion announced nationwide-the largest single commitment
of federal funds supporting an unprecedented number of local projects on the front lines of caring for people who might otherwise be living on the streets.

Jackson announced the funding at a local homeless center in Los Angeles with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"President Bush is deeply committed to supporting our most vulnerable neighbors and today I am pleased to
reconfirm that commitment," said Jackson. "This unprecedented level of funds will go directly to those on the front lines, who work tirelessly everyday to bring an end to chronic homelessness, and who provide services to the many individuals and families without a home of their own."

This is the fourth consecutive year HUD is providing record funding for homeless assistance and is part of a larger federal strategy being embraced by a growing number of state and local communities to end long-term or chronic homelessness.

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.



• Emergency Shelter Grants convert buildings into homeless shelters, assist in the operation of local shelters
  and fund related social service and homeless prevention programs.

Combined, HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs will provide critically needed funding
to more than 4,400 local programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result, more than a quarter-million persons will receive the housing and services they need to become self-sufficient. For a more detailed local summary of the funding announced today, visit www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/budget/2004/index.cfm

More than $1.2 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 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 toward permanent housing.

Approximately $322 million of the Continuum grants awarded today will fund new and 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.

The Goal to End Chronic Homelessness

For nearly four 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.

VIRGINIA 2004 CONTINUUM OF CARE GRANTEES

Virginia 2004 Emergency Shelter Grants

Norfolk
$228,559

Portsmouth
$79,518

Richmond
$217,439

Roanoke
$80,722

Virginia Beach
$110,169

Arlington County
$82,227

Fairfax County
$267,368

Prince William County
$81,862

State of Virginia
$1,490,205

Virgina State Total for Emergency Shelter Grants
$2,638,069

###