TUCSON, Ariz. -- Over $38 million dollars will now go towards renewing support for 77 homeless assistance programs in Arizona.
On January 26th, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a $38,452,895 total to the programs, with $8,334,299 of it going to those in Tucson and Pima County. The grant is part of a nearly $2 billion to support 5,800 local programs nationwide who help those who are homeless.
"At this time of year, thousands of local homeless assistance providers receive federal funding to operate and maintain stable housing for those living in our shelter system and on our streets," said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. "Renewing these grants will come as a huge relief to these providers, and it will allow them to continue their work to house and serve our most vulnerable neighbors."
HUD Continuum of Care grant funding supports a broad array of interventions to assist homeless individuals and families, particularly those living in places not meant for habitation, located in sheltering programs, or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Each year, HUD serves more than a million people through emergency shelter, transitional, and permanent housing programs.
Based on HUD's 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, an average of 552,830 people are said to be homeless on a single night in 2018. That's a 0.3% increase since 2017.
