Anne Arundel County was awarded $2.43 million in competitive federal funding to end homelessness. The award, which was granted to the county from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the nationally competitive Continuum of Care (CoC) program, will support 14 different ongoing projects working to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families in Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis.
The projects funded will provide 175 units of stable, affordable housing to the county’s most vulnerable homeless individuals and families. “Over the last decade, we have been able to increase the funding available to the county by approximately 44%, and every dollar is working toward our goal of ending homelessness,” said Kathleen Koch, executive director of Arundel Community Development Services.
The majority of CoC funds will provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals — that is, individuals who have been on the street for a long time and who may have mental health, physical health or substance abuse disorders. One such program is the Safe Haven II program, which is operated by Arundel House of Hope.
A portion of the CoC award will support Catholic Charities’ Rapid Re-Housing Program, helping homeless families quickly locate housing in the community to avoid being on the streets with their children. Other service and shelter providers funded by the CoC include the Mental Health Agency, Arundel House of Hope, People Encouraging People and the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County.