(AUSTIN) — The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) 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 29 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. It’s estimated more than 27,000 persons were served by 2016 ESG funds.

“The high cost of homelessness falls not just on individuals and families but also on 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 THDCA 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 2017 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 annual HUD point-in-time count estimates that more than 23,000 Texans are considered homeless, including approximately 7,000 living on the streets and more than 16,000 living in shelters and transitional housing.

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
2017 Emergency Solutions Grant Program Awards

Agency Name	Award Amount	Service Area
Advocacy Outreach	$450,000.00	Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette, Lee, and Travis counties
Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries, Inc.	$286,150.00	Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery counties
Bridge Steps	$200,300.00	Dallas County
City House, Inc.	$200,298.00	Collin County
City of Amarillo	$308,381.00	City of Amarillo
City of Denton	$600,000.00	Denton County
City of Texarkana	$449,786.00	Bowie, Camp, Cass, Marion, Morris, Red River, Titus counties
CitySquare	$200,978.00	Dallas County
El Paso Human Services, Inc.	$172,027.00	El Paso County
Family Gateway, Inc.	$200,964.00	Dallas County
Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc.	$207,500.00	Bexar County
Friendship of Women, Inc.	$552,572.00	Cameron County
Houston Area Community Services, Inc. (HACS)	$200,771.00	Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery counties
Loaves & Fishes of the Rio Grande Valley, Inc.	$477,986.00	Cameron, Willacy, Webb counties
Mid-Coast Family Services	$450,000.00	Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Victoria counties
SafeHaven of Tarrant County	$354,909.00	Tarrant County
San Antonio Metropolitan Ministry, Inc.	$542,500.00	Bexar County
Shelter Agencies for Families in East Texas, Inc.	$150,000.00	Camp, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River counties
Shelter Ministries of Dallas	$200,964.00	Dallas County
The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc.	$310,470.00	Harris County
The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County	$310,470.00	Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery counties
The Family Place, Inc.	$215,608.00	Dallas County
The Salvation Army of Corpus Christi	$150,000.00	Bee, Jim Wells, Klebert, Live Oak, Nueces, San Patricio counties
The Salvation Army of El Paso	$114,684.00	El Paso
The Salvation Army of Fort Worth, Mabee Center	$253,540.00	Tarrant County
The Salvation Army of Houston	$323,696.00	Harris County
The Salvation Army of Temple	$62,530.00	Bell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Coryell counties
The Salvation Army of Waco	$151,646.00	McLennan County
Youth and Family Alliance	$569,093.00	Travis County
STATE TOTAL	$8,667,823