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WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. When it was debated and passed by the Congress in 2009, for most folks it was one of those thumbs up, thumbs down kind of things.

Like whether Pete Rose ought to be in baseball's hall of fame. Or ketchup belongs on scrambled eggs. Or whether there should be a law against burning an American flag. In less than a heart beat you know what side you're on. Case closed.

With the Recovery Act, it was all about the money. And most folks concluded all of it was going to Wall Street, not Main Street. Turns out, though, those folks should have read the Act a little bit more closely.

Particularly the part about the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing section, one of a number of Recovery Act programs administered by HUD. Ten grantees in Washington state received a smidgeon just under $25 million for the program that was established by the Congress "to provide financial assistance and services to either prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless or help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized."

So what did the program mean for real people? Well, you might want to ask Jennifer and Courtney Miller of Wenatchee. Be assured, neither is a Wall Street banker.

Until last year, in fact, they'd lived in Ft. Collins where Jennifer worked as a nursing assistant and Courtney play semi-pro football for the Colorado Ice. Last February, they moved to Washington state so Courtney – a member of the Oregon Ducks from 1999 to 2002 – could play for the Wenatchee Venom. "But the Venom job didn't last," reported The Wenatchee World, "and the Millers suddenly found themselves without a place to live" and on the verge of homelessness.

"We had poor credit, little money and no one would rent to us," Jennifer told Rick Steigmeyer of The World. "We never thought this would happen to us."

Unfortunately, it did. But, fortunately, the Millers turned to the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council that was the HUD Homelessness Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Program in the Wenatchee area. It "helped them find a place to stay and come up with the $3,000 needed for the first and last month deposit," The World reported. It also helped them with the first six months of rent and, more importantly, given them the time to find work again. Good news for the Millers.

The Millers, of course, are not the only ones navigating rough waters these days. "It's always a problem," Rich Steele of the Community Action Council told The World, "but we're seeing a different clientele this year, a lot of middle-class people." To date, it's helped 66 families, especially those "hard hit" by lay-offs or job cut-backs, "families," said Linda Price who runs the Council's housing programs, "in which the wife is going through cancer treatment and the husband gets laid off work. He can't go out and find work because he has to take care of his wife, but they can't pay the medical bills or support the family and support the family without work." It's not, she added, a "pretty picture."

It's not very pretty most places. With just about 40 percent of the funds spent, in fact, statewide the Homelessness Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing program has helped almost 3,500 families in Washington state avoid or end their, homelessness. "Times are tough for lots of families across the Northwest," HUD's Northwest Regional Administrator Mary McBride noted. "Fortunately, these Recovery Act funds have helped shoo the wolf away from the doors of thousands of families." And, you can be pretty sure, not a one of those families has made a fortune off Wall Street.

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