Wednesday, December 29, 1999
Federal grants promise help for homeless
Twenty agencies to provide aid
BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — Twenty Northern Kentucky social service agencies that work with the homeless will share more than $1 million from a series of federal grants announced Tuesday by President Clinton.
The money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be used to provide housing and other services, including job training and substance abuse treatment, for the homeless in Northern Kentucky.
“Here at home we are reaching out to the poor, to those who do not yet share America's growing prosperity,” Mr. Clinton said.
“We are making new efforts to reach out to the homeless, to help them find housing, medical care and jobs.”
Nationwide, the grants total $900 million for 350 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the American territories.
In Northern Kentucky the money will go to:
• The Northern Kentucky Housing and Homeless Coalition, which will use $405,150 to purchase and rehabilitate an eight-unit apartment building in Elsmere for low-income people.
• Transitions, a Northern Kentucky social service agency that works with other social agencies providing help to the homeless, will be the lead agency in administering $710,312 in grant money.
• The city of Covington will also receive $77,000 to help pay for emergency homeless shelters.
Transitions Director Mac McArthur gave credit to Covington officials, who helped se cure the grants by participating in the application.
“The city really made these grants possible,” Mr. McArthur said.
Transitions will work with 19 other social agencies including Welcome House, Catholic Social Services and the Mental Health Association in providing outreach, job readiness training, substance abuse treatment, psychiatric services, mental health services and life skills.
“A lack of shelter is not the only reason people are homeless,” Mr. McArthur said. “And if we don't deal with some of the other problems, people will stay homeless or end up that way.”
Shelter for the homeless will be addressed by the homeless coalition, said Executive Director Joan Weingartner.
The apartment building the coalition will buy and rehabilitate will be available to low-income people who will have to pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent.
The strong economy and growth of Northern Kentucky have made affordable housing harder for low-income individuals and families to find, Ms. Weingartner said.
“There are people who may be working 40 hours a week, but are only making $6 or $7 an hour. They can't afford market-rate rents,” she said.
There are 789 people in Northern Kentucky on waiting lists for public housing, Ms. Weingartner said.
“We're excited because we're going to fill a great need with this money and this project,” she said. “There is so much more to do, but we are so very grateful for this money.”
The grants are part of a HUD program called Consortium of Care, which includes televised public service announcements designed to focus attention on the homeless.
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