WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the availability of $1.43 billion in homeless assistance grants to thousands of local projects serving homeless families and individuals.
The application deadline is Nov. 9, and applications must be submitted through the department’s electronic special-needs assistance programs system, better known as e-snaps. This is the second year that that e-snaps is required.
HUD’s Notice of Funding Availability offers grants through the Continuum of Care (CoC) homeless assistance programs, which aim to reduce the incidence of homelessness in CoC communities by assisting families and individuals moves to permanent housing.
In the notice, HUD said it has modified the selection so eligible renewal projects will be awarded as soon as possible. New projects will be awarded separately.
HUD awarded an additional $1.5 billion through its Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program earlier in the year.
Grants to reunite families
In other funding news, HUD also announced that it is making $14.6 million in grants available to help local housing authorities reunite children who are in foster care or at risk of being in foster care with their parents.
This funding, estimated to support 1,940 housing vouchers, is available through HUD’s Family Unification Program, which provides rental assistance to families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary cause of parents being separated or near separation from their children. The funding is also used to provide stable housing for youths who have aged out of the foster-care system.
In addition to the $14.6 million in grants that housing authorities will be applying for, 11 housing agencies will receive $5.4 million immediately. These agencies submitted applications for 2008 but were not awarded grants because the funding had been expended.
