U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Midwest Regional Administrator Joseph Galvan announced $73.4 million in “Continuum of Care” grants to support 274 programs in Michigan serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness. About $25 million of this funding will support programs in Detroit.
Southwest Solutions received $3.6 million to support several programs that assist homeless individuals and families to gain and retain housing.
“The amount awarded in Michigan reflects an increase of nearly $5 million from the amount awarded last year, and there’s going to be another round of funding this year.,” said Galvan at a press conference in Detroit this week. “Local agencies across Michigan have worked diligently to end homelessness resulting in a 34% reduction in overall homelessness in the state since 2010. We hope to keep the momentum going and are here to support agencies in their tireless efforts to end homelessness as we know it.”
HUD continues to challenge state and local planning organizations called “Continuums of Care” (CoCs) to support their highest performing local programs that have proven most effective in meeting the needs of persons experiencing homelessness in their communities. HUD CoC grant funding supports a broad array of interventions designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those living in places not meant for habitation, located in sheltering programs, or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.
“We are thrilled about HUD’s announcement,” said Arthur Jemison, Group Executive for Housing, Planning and Development at the City of Detroit. “It allows our partners at the Continuum of Care to continue their work investing in services to end homelessness.”
Data shows a significant decrease in homelessness in Detroit since 2009, said Tasha Gray, Executive Director of Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND), the lead agency for the CoC for Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park. In addition, the retention rate for those placed into permanent supportive housing through the Detroit CoC is 98%, meaning that 98% retain their housing for at least one year. Veteran homelessness has also declined significantly in the city.
To see a list of the HUD CoC grantees in Detroit, click here (PDF).
Recently, HUD released its 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, which found that 567,715 persons experienced homelessness in the country on a single night in 2019, an increase of 2.7 percent since 2018, but a nearly 11 percent decline since 2010. The number of families with children experiencing homelessness declined 5 percent from 2018 and more than 32 percent since 2010.
