June 14, 2012
Media Contact:
Gordon Anderson (512) 475-4743
State housing agency sending $8.7 million to local providers working to prevent homelessness
(AUSTIN) — The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) today announced a major funding award designed to prevent or mitigate the effects of homelessness across the state.
TDHCA awarded $8.7 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program funds to 38 cities and nonprofit organizations providing homelessness prevention assistance to individuals and families who might otherwise become homeless, as well as to rapidly re-house persons who become homeless.
“The high cost of homelessness falls not just on individuals and families but also Texas communities, and reducing its impact is an important mission of the Department,” said Tim Irvine, TDHCA Executive Director. “When homeless individuals obtain housing, their use of all other public resources tends to decline dramatically: arrest rates fall, emergency room visits drop, individuals attain employment, and their condition generally stabilizes.
“The awards TDHCA announced today will help reach greater numbers of individuals and families before they become homeless while restoring stability and self-sufficiency to the lives of thousands of Texans who already find themselves with no permanent home,” he concluded.
The grants were made through TDHCA’s 2012 ESG Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition to helping individuals obtain permanent housing, ESG funds can assist with the rehabilitation or conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters, the payment of eligible expenses relating to the operation of an emergency shelter, and the provision of essential services to homeless individuals.
Services may include medical, nutritional and psychological counseling; substance abuse treatment; transportation and job training; and the development and implementation of homelessness prevention activities.
While figures vary, the Texas Interagency Council for the Homeless estimates that 37,000 Texans on any given night sleep on the streets, in campsites, under bridges, in abandoned lots, in emergency shelters, and in numerous other places not intended for human habitation.
| Agency Name | Award Amount | Service Area |
|---|---|---|
| Advocacy Outreach | $343,236.15 | Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette, Lee, and Travis counties |
| Advocacy Resource Center for Housing (ARCH) | $150,000.00 | Hidalgo County |
| Bay Area Homeless Services, Inc. | $145,685.00 | Chambers, Harris, and Liberty counties |
| Career and Recovery Resources | $452,685.15 | Harris County |
| Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston | $149,949.00 | Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties |
| City of Amarillo | $242,247.79 | Armstrong, Carson, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, and Wheeler counties |
| City of Denton | $472,140.15 | Denton County |
| Corpus Christi Metro Ministries, Inc. | $150,000.00 | Nueces County |
| East Texas Crisis Center, Inc | $114,747.60 | Henderson, Rains, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties |
| Family Abuse Center, Inc. | $284,143.15 | Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, McLennan, and Navarro counties |
| Family Crisis Center, Inc. | $271,105.15 | Cameron and Willacy counties |
| Family Endeavors, Inc | $97,652.90 | Bexar County |
| Family in Crisis | $149,995.00 | Bell County |
| Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc. | $150,000.00 | Atascosa, Bexar, Comal, Medina, Guadalupe, and Wilson counties |
| Fort Bend County Women's Center, Inc. | $539,528.15 | Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Wharton counties |
| Friendship of Women, Inc. | $298,892.15 | Cameron County |
| Grapevine Relief And Community Exchange (GRACE) | $79,854.00 | Tarrant County |
| Grayson County Juveniles Alternatives dba North Texas Youth Connection | $602,685.15 | Cooke, Grayson, and Fannin counties |
| Houston Area Women's Center | $150,000.00 | Harris County |
| Johnson County Family Crisis Center | $100,000.00 | Johnson County |
| La Posada Providencia | $280,282.15 | Cameron, Frio, Hidalgo, and Webb counties |
| Love In the Name of Christ of Nacogdoches | $150,000.00 | Nacogdoches County |
| Mid-Coast Family Services | $150,000.00 | Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, and Victoria counties |
| Opportunity Center for the Homeless | $260,922.74 | El Paso County |
| Panhandle Crisis Center, Inc. | $75,102.00 | Hansford, Lipscomb, and Ochiltree counties |
| Project Vida | $153,685.15 | Culberson, El Paso, and Hudspeth counties |
| SafeHaven of Tarrant County | $150,000.00 | Tarrant County |
| San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries, Inc | $602,685.15 | Bexar County |
| SEARCH Homeless Services | $452,685.15 | Harris County |
| Shelter agencies For Families in East Texas dba SAFE-T | $149,380.00 | Camp, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River, and Titus counties |
| The Family Place | $452,685.15 | Dallas County |
| The Salvation Army - Abilene | $150,000.00 | Callahan, Jones, Nolan, Runnels, and Taylor counties |
| The Salvation Army - Forth Worth Mabee Center | $100,000.00 | Tarrant County |
| The Salvation Army - McAllen | $150,000.00 | Hidalgo County |
| The Salvation Army - Odessa | $128,490.00 | Ector County |
| The Salvation Army - Texarkana | $150,000.00 | Bowie, Cass |
| Women's Shelter of East Texas, Inc. dba Janelle Grum Family Crisis Center of East Texas | $75,000.00 | Angelina, Houston, Nacogdoches, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, and Trinity counties |
| Youth and Family Alliance dba LifeWorks | $211,690.36 | Travis County |
| STATE TOTAL | $8,787,154.34 |
About the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is committed to expanding fair housing choice and opportunities for Texans through the administration and funding of affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, weatherization, and community-based services with the help of for-profits, nonprofits, and local governments. For more information about fair housing, funding opportunities, or services in your area, please visit www.tdhca.state.tx.us or the Learn about Fair Housing in Texas page.
- 30 -
