The Garden City Telegram

  Add Your Comment | Read (1) Comments

Grant to offer help for homeless

Published 10/14/2009 in Local News

By SHAJIA AHMAD

sahmad@gctelegram.com

Officials from the Area Mental Health Center are hoping a nearly $1.7 million award in stimulus funds will help prevent homelessness in western Kansas and possibly change the way funding and programming is handled in the future.

"It's much easier to try and keep a person or family in their current living situation than it is to have to find them a place to live after they have lost their housing," said Lance Stone, a housing and grant coordinator from AMHC. "When you've got someone being housed in a shelter for 10 days, they're probably still going to be homeless after those 10 days."

The $1,660,500 million grant awarded to the mental health center will benefit families in the entire western region of Kansas, from the eastern Colorado border to Smith County in the north and Barber County in the south, with cash assistance if they are on the verge of homelessness and would be homeless but for the assistance.

The homelessness prevention grant is one of 11 in Kansas for local entities totaling nearly $8.4 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program, or HPRP.

Stone said the grant is unique in that mental health centers in three regions of the state have collaborated to cover most of the state, mainly rural areas.

"You don't see a lot of shelters out here or homeless people brimming the streets, but there are many people in imminent danger of being homeless or families who are behind on their rent," he said. "This isn't long term help — this is for people who need temporary help to get back on their feet and keep them out of shelters and off the streets."

About 2,000 individuals in rural areas are homeless on any given night, based on two point-in-time surveys conducted since 2007 by the Kansas Housing Resources Corp. and the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

Often referred to as the "hidden homeless," rural homelessness often is a result of poverty and a lack of affordable housing, according to the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition.

Framers of the state program and grant said they hope the direct cash assistance and intervention will preserve the stability and well-being of not only families, but also communities; however, the cash assistance is only available to renters, rendering homeowners and those looking for mortgage assistance ineligible, Stone said.

Examples of assistance include utility payments and arrears, short and medium term rental assistance, moving costs, credit repair, housing search and case management.

Eligible families must be at or below 50 percent of the area median income and be either homeless or at-risk of losing their home, without appropriate subsequent housing options and without the financial resources and support networks available to obtain immediate housing or remain in existing housing.

In Finney County, that threshold is about an annual salary of $18,500 for an individual, Stone said.

The Area Mental Health Center, which serves Finney and 12 surrounding counties, will remain the processing center for the grant's funds.

Individuals who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless in the western third of the state are advised to contact their local HPRP service provider directly to determine eligibility for services and schedule an initial consultation with a case manager. A list of HPRP service providers in all 105 Kansas counties is available below.

Stone said the Area Mental Health Center could begin distributing cash assistance as soon as Nov. 1.

"Even if you don't agree with the politics (of stimulus funds), somebody's going to get this money, and it might keep them in their home and get landlords updated with their books," he said. "We're right near the holidays, and it's especially important that we help families stay together."

Download a list of HPRP providers by county.

---

Who are the “homeless?"

A person is considered homeless only when he/she resides in one of the places described below:

• In places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings (on the street).

• In an emergency shelter.

• In transitional or supportive housing for homeless persons who originally came from the streets or emergency shelters.

• Is being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and no subsequent residence has been identified, and the person lacks resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.

• Is being discharged within a week from an institution, such as a mental health or substance abuse treatment facility or a jail/prison and no subsequent residence has been identified, and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.

• Is fleeing a domestic violence housing situation, no subsequent residence has been identified, and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.

The following do not meet the HUD definition of homeless:

• Persons living in housing, even though they are paying an excessive amount for their housing, the housing is substandard and in need of repair, or the housing is crowded.

• Persons living with relatives or friends.

• Persons staying in a motel, including pay-by-the-week motels.

• Persons living in a Board and Care, Adult Congregate Living Facility, or similar place.

• Persons being discharged from an institution that is required to provide or arrange housing upon release.

• Wards of the State, although youth in foster care may receive needed supportive services which supplements, but does not substitute for, the state’s assistance.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Welcome!    

Today's events • Weekly Events

Submit An Event