The Office of Supportive Housing (OSH) has been awarded $28 million dollars in grants that will provide funding for 86 homeless housing service programs in Philadelphia. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Tier 1 Continuum of Care (CoC) grants support President Obama's efforts to end homelessness by providing much-needed housing and support services to individuals and families that are experiencing the plight of homelessness. 

Philadelphia will use the funds for rental assistance, leasing, operating, and supportive services that support city nonprofits currently operating 2,242 units of transitional and permanent housing for homeless individuals and families. It breaks down to an average of $12,501 per unit annually due in part to leveraging and partnerships.

The award was $667,864 more than requested.

“We are very excited about the award” Liz Hersh, director of OSH said in a press release. “We want to make homelessness in Philadelphia rare, brief and non-recurring. This kind of support for proven housing programs is key to moving us toward this goal.”

Nationwide HUD estimates that there were 564,708 persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2015. Since 2010 local communities around the country reported a decline by more than 72,000 persons, an 11 percent reduction.  In addition, veteran homelessness fell by 36 percent, chronic homelessness declined 22 percent and between 2010 and Jan. 2015, family homelessness declined by 19 percent, while the estimated number of unaccompanied homeless youth and children was 36,097. 

Philadelphia ended veteran’s homelessness last November. In 2015 15,040 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in the city.

To compete most effectively for the grants, communities made very challenging decisions, often shifting funds from existing projects to create new ones that will have a more substantial and lasting impact on homeless populations. HUD will award approximately $300 million in “Tier 2 grants” in the spring to support more local programs. 

 HUD also awarded Philadelphia $931,805 for CoC Planning funds which will go toward developing a new homeless plan, staffing, evaluation, monitoring, a homeless youth Point in Time Count, and coordinated entry.

This is the result of successful partnerships between OSH, the CoC team and the capable providers in our community, Hersh added.