Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh recently announced the city has received a $24.2 million federal award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that will support Boston’s efforts to end chronic homelessness.
The funds will be distributed through the city’s Continuum of Care, a local network that provides housing and services for Boston’s homeless individuals and families. Continuum of Care funds leasing and rental assistance for permanent housing, transitional housing, supportive services and homeless management information systems and planning.
“Funding for our most vulnerable populations is critical, as we cannot leave any member of our community behind. This grant will go a long way in helping Boston pursue its goal of ending chronic and veteran homelessness by 2018,” Walsh said in a statement. “As a city that believes in equity and affordability for all its citizens, we will put these funds to extraordinarily good use to support the work our city does every day. I thank Secretary Castro and HUD for their continued support for Boston.”
Thirty seven of the 40 projects that were submitted by the Boston Continuum of Care were approved. HUD also awarded four new projects to the city of Boston. Overall, the Boston Continuum of Care award increased by $255,451 over 2015. The funds will help serve more than 1,400 chronically homeless individuals, and will fund more than $1 million to place homeless individuals in housing, while providing stabilization services to help them successfully remain housed. One of the city’s new projects will help 20 homeless families of school-aged children to become housed.
This grant will support Boston’s Way Home, the city’s plan to end veteran and chronic homelessness in Boston by 2018. In January 2016, Walsh announced Boston had ended chronic veteran homelessness; to date, nearly 800 veterans have been housed. In 2016, the city increased its efforts to end chronic homelessness; since January of 2016, almost 230 chronically homeless individuals have been housed.
