Feb 4, 2015 3 min read

Washington County received permission from the federal Department of Housing an Urban Development to consolidate two grants to aid the homeless, which Jennifer Johnson, coordinator of programs and services for the homeless, said will save on administrative costs.

The $394,858 represents a the allocation of $371,253 for permanent supportive housing and another $23,605 to expand the permanent supportive housing program through April 30, 2015. The county contracts with Connect Inc. to provide these services at a cost of $382,235. The remaining $12,623 includes part of the salaries of those in the county’s human services department and the cost of administering the programs.

The programs provided 33 apartments last year, but the housing itself is just one component of aiding the homeless. The county refers the homeless to a variety of agencies providing case management, mental health services, help with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Greater Washington County Food Bank, and counseling for those who have suffered sexual abuse.

The change applies to federal taxpayers’ money from fiscal year 2013.

HUD is also providing the homeless of Washington County with an emergency shelter grant of $107,907 to be used through August 2016, and it released a breakdown of grants including:

• $158,601 for Try-Again Homes’ “Can Do” transitional housing program for those aged 18 to 25, which provides seven beds in a building in Washington;

• $219,306 for the Fresh Start transitional housing for women and women with children who are fleeing domestic violence through the Southwestern Pennsylvania Domestic Violence Services agency;

• $100,051 for Connect Inc.’s Mental Health and Veterans program, which provides seven apartments for those who have been diagnosed with mental health problems and five apartments for veterans through the Permanent Supportive Housing Program;

• $90,723 for Connect Inc.’s Supportive Living transitional housing program, in which people can stay up to 24 months and resolve issues that caused them to become homeless;

• $190,435 for Residential Recovery’s program called Shelter Plus Care I housing, which matches services from another funding stream to offset 25 percent of the cost;

• $200,447 for Connect Inc.’s Safe Haven, a place for homeless people who suffer from mental illness. The program tries to engage them in services while they’re living there;

• $62,941 for the Washington County Homeless Management Information System, which stores data about people receiving help from these agencies. Johnson noted the exception is those who are receiving domestic violence service to protect victims’ security.

HUD recently announced its 2014 estimate of the number of homeless persons in America. There were 578,424 persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2014. Since 2010, local communities around the country reported an overall 10 percent decline in the total number of persons experiencing homelessness and a 25 percent drop in the number of those living on the streets. State and local planning agencies’ counts reveal a 33 percent drop in homelessness among veterans.