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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING ANNOUNCES $31 MILLION IN COMPETITIVE CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM AWARDS
Wednesday December 21, 2016
Contact: Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing: 415-554-7755
HUD FY 2016 Continuum of Care Program awards San Francisco Continuum of Care a record $31 million in grants, recognizing and investing in proven solutions to end homelessness.
San Francisco, CA— Jeff Kositsky, Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) announced the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) FY 2016 Continuum of Care (CoC) competitive grant preliminary award of $31,804,009.28 for the San Francisco Continuum of Care, an increase of $723,709 over last year. The FY 2016 award includes a non-renewable $918,933 planning grant. HUD Continuum of Care funds will support 54 projects in San Francisco, including seven new projects; funds will primarily support permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing efforts. In addition, one transitional housing project will be funded, as well as the City’s Coordinated Entry efforts and three HMIS projects.
“HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a wide range of programs and projects that are effective in the fight to end homelessness in our community,” said Jeff Kositsky “the increased CoC funding for the San Francisco Continuum is a testament to the great work our City and nonprofit partners are engaged in. We know what works to end homelessness and will continue to align resources and work together to develop a client-centric, data driven, twenty-first century system that gets people off the streets and into housing.”
This year’s CoC funding is the greatest amount San Francisco has ever received. San Francisco has seen a 57% increase in HUD Continuum funding since 2011 when San Francisco received $20,180,001 in grant funds. “I would like to join my colleagues on the LHCB and fellow residents in congratulating and thanking all providers and program raters who work very hard and collectively to help the most vulnerable among us,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board “As the Holidays near and people are traveling home it’s so important that we continue to ensure that a Home is provided for everyone. I’m elated that HUD is focusing more on the epidemic of youth homelessness. I recently attended a homelessness summit in Washington DC and was proud to hear in many discussions that SF is the City that knows how to get it done. So as we celebrate, don’t forget to look around our streets. We got much more work to do.”
New projects funded this year include $1,406,825 for permanent supportive housing for veterans and individuals and $886,189 for rapid rehousing projects for families and youth.
HUD’s Continuum of Care program is designed to promote communitywide commitment to ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers and State and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families. “This is another critical investment in support of those working each and every day to house and serve our most vulnerable neighbors,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. “We know how to end homelessness and will continue to encourage our local partners to use the latest evidence to achieve success. These grants support proven strategies to end homelessness once and for all.”
Nationally, HUD awarded a record $1.95 billion in grants to nearly 7,600 homeless assistance programs. California received the greatest Continuum of Care funding in the country. In the state, San Francisco’s Continuum of Care funding ranks third, behind Los Angeles City and County CoC and Oakland, Berkeley/Alameda County CoC.
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About the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing: The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) aims to make homelessness in San Francisco rare, brief and a one-time occurrence through the provision of coordinated, compassionate and high-quality services. Established in 2016, HSH consolidates and coordinates citywide homeless serving programs and contracts. For more information please visit: http://dhsh.sfgov.org