2-1-1: Helping you find the help you need
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Homeless Prevention
and Rapid Re-housing Program
Spokane County
residents who are on the brink of homelessness may be eligible for a new
program intended to help with rent payments and other services.
The Spokane County Community
Services, Housing, and Community Development Department has received a $622,278
grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help
individuals in need before they become homeless. The grant money is being made
available through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), which allows Spokane
County to administer the
Homelessness Prevention (HP) program. The
federal housing agency expects that these resources will target households that
are most in need of temporary assistance and are most likely to achieve stable
housing.
Specifically, Spokane County
will focus these dollars on residents in unincorporated areas, as well as the
cities of Airway Heights,
Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield,
Latah, Liberty Lake,
Medical Lake,
Millwood, Rockford, Spangle, Spokane Valley
and Waverly. The HP grant funds will primarily
be used for rental assistance and will not provide mortgage assistance, legal
or other fees associated with retaining homeowner housing. However, renters
who are about to become homeless may receive assistance with utilities and
rent.
The HP program defines utilities
as those required for water, heat and waste. Ineligible costs include telephone,
cellular phone, cable, internet, credit card debt, transportation costs, car
repair, food, medical, dental, clothing, home furnishings, pet care, licensing,
training, construction or child care. All funds are issued directly to a
third party and not directly to program participants.
Eligibility criteria include;
residence in one of Spokane
County’s outlying areas,
demonstration of 50 percent or less of the Area Median Income, lack of
subsequent housing options and a lack of financial resources and support
networks needed to remain housed. As an example of the income eligibility
criteria, a family of 4 would be eligible if their total gross household income
was $30,100 or less per year. The Spokane County 2005-2009 Consolidated
Plan demonstrates that over fifteen thousand households in the county’s
outlying areas meet the income-eligibility criteria of earning less than 50
percent of the Area Median Income.
All qualified recipients will be
linked to consumer credit counseling, equipping them with successful household
budgeting skills.
If you
or someone you know may be eligible for this program, dial 2-1-1 to apply.