“It’s a diversity of housing, programs and services,” Jenkins said. “There are permanent supportive housing projects. There are what we call ‘Rapid Rehousing’ projects that are also permanent rental assistance programs that make housing affordable for folks in our community who have experienced homelessness.”
Funding recipients include the city of Dayton, Homefull, Eastway, Daybreak, Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, Montgomery County, St. Vincent de Paul and YWCA Dayton.
The amount awarded to local CoC recipients is up by nearly $2 million this year. This increase in funding, in part, is impacted by HUD’s cost of living adjustment, which will provide additional pay and support for direct service staff that work to support people experiencing homelessness, Jenkins said.
The funding announcement comes before the county sees its annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count next week, where teams will work overnight to count the number of people sleeping in shelters or in unsheltered spaces in local communities.
The 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of homelessness identified 687 people, 92 of whom were unsheltered, according to results from Montgomery County. The year before, Montgomery County counted its highest recorded number of people — 771, of whom 107 were unsheltered — since it launched its homeless solutions plan in 2006.
Jenkins said people of all ages in Montgomery County are counted during these nights. Single adults make up a strong portion of people experiencing homelessness locally.
Several factors drive homelessness, but the high cost of housing and stagnant wages persistently see local families struggle to make ends meet.
“That continues to be one of the biggest things that we see bring people into that housing instability — not having the resources to afford safe, decent, quality, affordable housing,” she said.
Montgomery County officials this week said the county is negotiating a contract with Homefull to be the case management provider for the Women’s, Families, and Men’s Emergency Shelters.
St. Vincent de Paul Society last year announced plans to cease operating Men’s Gateway Shelter by this summer, citing financial challenges and an end to federal emergency relief. Montgomery County will soon release a request for proposals for a service provider to operate the Men’s Gateway Shelter.
Research shows that housing is a vital component of a person’s overall health. Jenkins said the lack of housing stability has a widespread effect on physical and mental well-being.
“When you don’t have that basic need met, so many other things become chaotic and out of your control,” she said. “Once those housing needs are met, so many of those other things begin to make positive progress.”
Across the country, about $3.6 billion in Continuum of Care funding is going into more than 7,000 programs that provide housing assistance and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, as well as costs related to planning and data collection. Nearly 400 communities applied nationally, and Ohio organizations will receive $178.2 million total, according to a HUD press release.
“We cannot end homelessness without the thousands of providers who are committed to this work,” said Marion McFadden, principal deputy assistant secretary for the federal Community Planning and Development department. “The historic awards we are announcing will expand community capacity to assist more people in obtaining the safety and stability of a home, along with ensuring that providers have the support that they need.”
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