Mayor Jon Mitchell has announced that the City of New Bedford has been awarded $1,721,502 in homeless assistance funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of a competitive grant process under the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. HUD awarded a record $2 billion to support more than 7,300 local homeless assistance programs across the nation providing critically needed support to local programs on the front lines serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
The grant award is part of a very competitive national application process led by the City of New Bedford’s Department of Planning, Housing and Community Development (DPHCD). The DPHCD coordinates a comprehensive response to homelessness using a “Continuum of Care” methodology through a local network known as the Homeless Service Provider’s Network (HSPN). A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a community’s plan or strategy to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are in the midst of a housing crisis and/or are experiencing homelessness as they move to stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency. A CoC strategy includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.
“The awarding of this federal grant is an occasion to highlight the important work that we are doing in New Bedford to address homelessness through a coordinated effort led by the HSPN. I want to thank the more than 50 HSPN partners who are working with the City on a daily basis and without fanfare to address the complex issue of homelessness in New Bedford. This funding will enable that work to continue and will accelerate our efforts to connect the homeless with permanent housing solutions that can lead to long-term stability,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.
In releasing this year’s awards, HUD noted that it “strongly encouraged local applicants to prioritize their funding request very carefully, using a mix of performance data and local needs. In addition, applicants were encouraged to submit projects that were based on research-driven approaches and supported the nation’s goals to prevent and end homelessness.”
The CoC application requires city government, agencies, volunteers and the community-at-large to develop innovative strategies to help people experiencing homelessness. Comprehensive planning is coordinated by the City’s DPHCD and HSPN. The network coordinates the local Continuum of Care program and meets monthly with over 50 organizations dedicated to ending homelessness. The grant funding will help to support nine local programs totaling $1,721,502 to be distributed to the following programs and agencies addressing homelessness in New Bedford:
- $ 46,757 The CALL (Catholic Social Services)
- $ 74,524 Homeless Management Information System
- $260,920 Family Preservation Program (SEMCOA)
- $153,709 Transition to Stability (Catholic Social Services)
- $277,130 Step Up (PAACA)
- $109,030 Prism (Catholic Social Services)
- $591,092 Portico (Catholic Social Services)
- $170,590 Welcome Home (Steppingstone)
- $ 37,750 CoC Planning Grant (City/HSPN)
Patrick J. Sullivan, Director of the City of New Bedford’s DPHCD stated, “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a wide range of programs and projects that are effective in the fight to end homelessness in our community. to this end the strategic vision of our HSPN partners is a testament to the great work in which our City and nonprofit partners are engaged.
The HSPN holds monthly public meetings to proactively address the most pressing issues around the complexity of homelessness. Anyone interested in learning more about the work of the HSPN is encouraged to visit www.nbhspn.com or contact Jennifer Clarke at the DPHCD at 508.979.1500.
