Jan 28, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Richard Faris, Lee County Human Services
               (239) 652-7930

GRANTS GIVE HOMELESS HOPE FOR 2005

FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 28, 2005) - Lee County agencies will receive $2.2 million to provide housing and supportive services to homeless families and individuals, part of $1.4 billion in grants announced this week by President George W. Bush and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson.

The grants, part of HUD's Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs, will help the homeless to find emergency shelter, transitional housing and a permanent home.

The local grants - part of $66 million distributed in Florida - will go to Southwest Florida Addiction Services ($640,551), the Salvation Army ($1,286,207), and Lee County Human Services ($300,231), to fill critical needs for permanent supportive housing and continue programs delivering a broad range of health, housing and employment services for Lee County homeless residents.

The Lee County 2004 Homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) application covered all local jurisdictions. Lee County's Department of Human Services is responsible for grant planning, application and administration. The Lee County Coalition for the Homeless, Florida and its member providers implement the Continuum of Care programs. Continuum programs have the goals of homelessness prevention and restoring homeless families, individuals, and children to housing and independent lives.

The grants are competitively awarded, funds are not guaranteed, and the competition to receive them becomes stiffer each year. Lee County and the Coalition are pleased to have been successful in convincing the judges that this area's homeless program is viable and effective.

For more information on the recently announced grants, view this press release from HUD: http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr05-007.cfm.

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