Federal funds target 2 projects for homeless

Two new projects aimed at curbing homelessness in Erie County will receive $2.4 million in federal funding, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced.

Hope Gardens Housing First, a new apartment complex for chronically homeless women sponsored by the Lt. Col. Matt Urban Center and planned for the East Side, will get $1.7 million, while Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services will get $761,000 for scattered apartments to house 20 homeless young adults with substance-abuse problems.

Hope Gardens has yet to be built, and the Matt Urban Center is waiting to hear back from New York State regarding $3 million to $4 million in construction funds for the project, which will serve 20 women at a time.

The federal money is for rental subsidies and support services, such as job training and mental health counseling.

The HUD awards announced this week were in addition to $6.4 million in continuum of care grants for Erie County homelessness programs made earlier by the federal agency.

Hope Gardens is slated to be built on 13 vacant lots between Oberlin and Ruhland avenues, not far from St. Lukes Mission of Mercy, a faith-based agency that provides shelter for homeless people. If the state money comes through, construction could begin later this year.

These kinds of services have been needed for a very long time, said Marlies Wesolowski, executive director of the Matt Urban Center. There are over 200 women we know of who could benefit from these services but dont have access to them.

The Homeless Alliance of Western New York has determined that 483 men and women in Erie County are chronically homeless which HUD defines as being without a home for one year or longer or four or more times in a three-year period.

Theres still a need for more housing for the chronically homeless, said Dale Zuchlewski, executive director of the Homeless Alliance.

Studies consistently show that providing stable housing for people who are chronically homeless is far cheaper than ignoring the problem, he said.

Visit link:
Federal funds target 2 projects for homeless