City, county and federal officials gathered on Monday in Harrisburg city hall for the check presentation.
The effort to assist unhoused residents in Dauphin County received a boost on Monday, as area officials announced a multi-million federal grant to help battle housing insecurity.
In the MLK Jr. City Government Center, Harrisburg and Dauphin County officials were on hand to accept a $2.3 million check from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), money that will help area social service groups assist people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
“Thanks to HUD, $2.3 million is coming back into Harrisburg and Dauphin County to give groups like CACH [Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness] the tools we all need to give our unsheltered men, women and children the shelter they desperately crave,” said Mayor Wanda Williams.
Dauphin County/Harrisburg is one of 32 communities throughout the country selected to receive the competitive “continuum of care” grant, according to Matthew Heckles, HUD Regional Administrator, Region III, Mid-Atlantic.
“It’s not just enough to give someone a roof over their head, but also to provide the supportive services that they need to address the challenges that they face,” he said at the event. “They must be able to address those challenges while knowing that their housing is secure.”
According to Heckles, the federal government’s goal is to reduce homelessness nationwide by 25% by 2025. In January 2022, the annual “point in time count” found 423 homeless individuals in Dauphin County, including 64 living on the streets at that time, he said.
During the half-hour check presentation ceremony in city hall, HUD also announced that it would provide five additional “stability” vouchers that help with emergency housing for Dauphin County residents.
The three-year, $2.3 million grant will be distributed to several social service organizations already addressing housing insecurity and homelessness in Harrisburg and Dauphin County, said Dennise Hill, the president of CACH and the city’s director of building and housing development:
- CACH will receive $91,030 for its homeless management information system.
- Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area will receive $549,784 for unsheltered rapid re-housing to quickly rehouse people experiencing homelessness; $341,800 for coordinated entry services; and $270,450 for street outreach.
- Gaudenzia will receive $491,814 for unsheltered permanent supportive housing.
- Scholars Inc. will receive $582,381 for Thrive Housing, joint transitional housing and rapid rehousing.
“As we all know, the need is often greater than the resources,” Hill said. “These funds will help to expand the capacity of the dedicated service providers doing incredible work as it pertains to homelessness in the city of Harrisburg and the CACH network.”
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