Hawaii gets $6.2M to help homeless
Staff and news reports
The federal government awarded nearly $1.4 billion in grants to support local homeless programs yesterday, including $6.2 million for Hawaii, a 6.4 percent decrease from the amount the state received a year ago.
Local agencies compete for most of the Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, which support more than 5,300 programs across the nation. The grants pay for a range of programs, from emergency and transitional housing to job training and substance abuse counseling. The goal is to get people off the street and provide them with the services they need to keep them from returning.
FUNDING DROPS
Hawaii's share of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants for local homeless programs:
2006: $6.2 million
2005: $6.6 million
Change: - $400,000
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Hawaii received $6.6 million a year ago.
Gregory House Programs will receive $730,000 in federal grants to provide assistance for people with HIV/AIDS who face being homeless, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye announced yesterday.
Gregory House will receive $358,400 from the HUD Supportive Housing Program to provide services for people to make the transition into stable housing.
The nonprofit agency will also receive $370,476 of money provided to the state from HUD Shelter Plus Care. The federal program provides rental assistance for homeless people with disabilities.
"Unfortunately, homelessness has become a pervasive problem in Hawaii, with hundreds of people living on beaches even though they might have jobs," Inouye said in a news release. "It is also a particularly heavy burden for individuals coping with HIV/AIDS."
Gregory House serves about 220 individuals and households each month. It provides rent assistance through ongoing and emergency rent subsides, utility assistance, temporary shelter and support services, according to a release.
Gregory House Executive Director John Berliner is in Washington, D.C., and was not available for comment.
Star-Bulletin reporter Mary Adamski and the Associated Press contributed to this report.