COUNTY The Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care is applying for $2,272,896 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support the work of local homeless service providers.
The 2019 application and priority listing will be submitted as the 2019 CoC Consolidated Application to HUD by the Sept. 30 deadline for the 2019 national competition. The county expects to hear announcements on funding in the spring, according to a news release.
The funding request includes several project types, including transitional housing, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, coordinated entry system and homeless management information system.
On Sept. 12, the CoC board approved funding recommendations from an independent review panel for the grant application. Highlights from the application include: a 10 percent reduction in first-time homelessness; 5 percent increase in exits to permanent housing; partnership with the county’s Workforce Development Board to encourage employment; and enhanced coordinated outreach and engagement county-wide by agencies working to end homelessness.
Statistics from the county’s Homeless Assistance Program show that 499 households, or 787 persons, transitioned out of homelessness since January 2018 when the CoC began a concerted “coordinated entry” into housing programs. There are still more than 1,300 households in need of housing assistance, and the funding sought by the application will allow more people to be assisted, according to officials.
An overview of homeless resources in Santa Barbara County can be found at www.liveunitedsbc.org/resources-clients.
