WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today announced the availability of additional funding to renew HUD aid to some homeless assistance programs operating around the nation. This includes $952,000 for Portland, Maine, to provide funding for six programs.

"We are committed to doing all we can to provide available funds for effective programs that are helping homeless people transform their lives and become self-sufficient," Cuomo said. "We realize that homeless assistance groups that we have funded in the past look to HUD to help them continue their work in the future."

The following programs within the City of Portland Continuum of Care will receive the funding they had requested from HUD: City of Portland Collaborative --$158,000; PWNPC- Bell Street Program -- $64,000; YWCA -- $126,000; Ingraham Inc.-Randall Place -- $80,000; Ingraham Inc.-MaineStay -- $451,000; and My Choice-Portland -- $71,000.

Officials from Maine had asked that HUD review the state's two rejected applications for Continuum of Care homeless assistance. After multiple reviews of both applications, HUD staff determined that the applications for the State of Maine and the City of Portland did not receive the score necessary for funding.

However, HUD is making a policy change to allow for the renewal of funding for some existing programs under one of the three different statutory programs, the Supportive Housing Program.

Communities submit Continuum of Care plans to HUD that reflect efforts to address the problem of homelessness through a range of housing and services.

The services have a short-term goal of providing emergency assistance and assessment of a homeless person's needs, and a long-term goal of helping the person to obtain permanent housing and become self-sufficient. There were 448 Continuum of Care plans submitted to HUD in the most recent competition. HUD was able to fund the top 307 plans late last year with a total of $700 million.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009