City Receives Shelter Plus Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The city of Richmond has received two Shelter Plus grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to aid local homeless assistance programs. The HUD grants, totaling approximately $748,800, will provide critical support to the city’s housing and human services for homeless individuals and families. The city received $449,280 for the Richmond Shelter Plus Care – A Place To Start and $299,520 for the Richmond Shelter Plus Care.

“These programs are essential to the health and well-being of many homeless individuals in our city,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “Programs such as Shelter Plus provide rental assistance and day-to-day support services for the homeless, particularly those battling disabilities. We look forward to joining HUD in the fight to prevent, and eventually end homelessness in the city of Richmond.”

Shelter Plus Care is a program designed to provide rental housing assistance and supportive services on a long-term basis for homeless persons with disabilities, (primarily those with serious mental illness, chronic problems with alcohol and/or drugs, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or related diseases) and their families who are living in places not intended for human habitation or in emergency shelters.

Shelter Plus Care – A Place To Start provides permanent, independent housing (in the form of Shelter Plus Care rental subsidies) for adults who are chronically homeless and are experiencing a persistent mental illness. Many of these individuals also have co-occurring substance abuse disorders. This program places individuals in housing and ensures access to intensive and appropriate health and mental health services around them.

HUD’s homelessness grants are awarded competitively to local programs such as the city of Richmond’s Department of Human Services. The grants fund a wide range of programs and services including job training, health care and substance abuse treatment for individuals in need. For more information on HUD’s Shelter Plus program, visit www.hud.gov .

# # #