Cohen Announces Over $5 Million for Homeless Housing and Assistance

Press Release

Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a combined $5,164,089 in grants for housing assistance under its Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance program.

"Homelessness imposes a hardship on someone that they can't solve by themselves; they need outside help," Congressman Cohen said. "Without basic resources like a mailing address, a phone number, and reliable transportation, it becomes next to impossible for a homeless person to find a job, especially at a time when the economy is still recovering. These funds will give Memphis' homeless the chance they need to get back on their feet and return to a normal and productive life."

The Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance program is a set of three competitively-awarded programs created to address the problems of homelessness in a comprehensive manner with other federal agencies. It provides funding for a variety of assistance to homeless persons including transitional housing, permanent housing, and supportive services. The Continuum of Care programs are the Supportive Housing Program (SHP), the Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C), and the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation for SRO Dwellings for Homeless Individuals (SRO).

The Supportive Housing Program is authorized by Title IV, Subtitle C, of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, as amended. It is designed to promote, as part of a local Continuum of Care strategy, the development of supportive housing and supportive services to assist the homeless in the transition from homelessness and to enable them to live as independently as possible.

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