RECOVERY ACT FUNDS HELP MORE THAN 10,000 HOUSEHOLDS IN ALASKA, IDAHO, OREGON & WASHINGTON STATE AVOID OR END HOMELESSNESS

SEATTLE - Twenty state and local governments and their non-profit partners in have distributed U.S. Department
and Housing and Urban Development funds provided by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009
to help, through December 2nd, 26,722 people - or more than 10,000 households - in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state avoid or end homelessness.

The funds were provided under ARRA's Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) to keep families in their homes or help them find other affordable housing after a sudden financial crisis, which might have otherwise led to homelessness. Nationally, more than 750,000 people have been aided by HPRP funds.

"Times are tough for lots of families across the Northwest," said HUD's Northwest Regional Administrator Mary
McBride. "Fortunately, these Recovery Act funds have helped shoo the wolf away from the doors of thousands of families. Often times, a little bit of financial assistance can make all the difference between finding or keeping a
stable home and being forced to live in a shelter or on the streets. It's a modest investment in their futures and,
thus, in the future of our country."

The number of Northwest residents assisted to date is detailed below, by jurisdiction. Please note that "persons served through prevention" are people currently in housing who, without assistance, would be homeless while
"persons served through housing" are people who currently are homeless and are "rapidly re-housed" with the assistance.

HUD requires each grantee to participate in its local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), where
client-level data is entered and collected on the households served through HPRP on a quarterly basis. The
grantee and/or subgrantee compiles the reported data and provides HUD with an unduplicated count of person
and households served in the reporting quarter and date, as well as whether the household exited the program to
stable housing. On an annual basis, HUD captures additional detailed data from the grantees that is published in
the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report.

The Recovery Act provided $1.5 billion to fund HPRP, which was a new program created specifically under the Recovery Act. These grants offer communities a resource to provide short- and medium-term rental assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless or to quickly re-house those who are
experiencing homelessness. To date, slightly more than 40 percent of HPRP funds have been allocated to individuals.

Grants provided under HPRP are not intended to provide long-term support for individuals and families, nor do they provide mortgage assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. Rather, HPRP offers short- and medium-term
financial assistance and services to those who would otherwise become homeless, and those who are already in homeless shelters or living on the street, many due to sudden economic crisis. This can include short-term rental assistance (up to three months), medium-term rental assistance (up to 18 months), security deposits, utility
deposits and/or utility payments, moving cost assistance, and hotel vouchers. Payments will not be made directly
to households, but only to third parties, such as landlords or utility companies. The goal of the program is to
increase housing stability for those individuals and families served with HPRP assistance.

Secretary Donovan and the Department are committed to providing the highest level of transparency possible as Recovery Act funds are administered. It is vitally important that the American people are fully aware of how their
tax dollars are being spent and can hold their federal leaders accountable. Every dollar of Recovery Act funds HUD spends can be reviewed and tracked at HUD's Recovery Act website. The full text of HUD's funding notices and tracking of future performance of these grants is also available at HUD's Recovery Act website.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.