Here Comes the Stimulus Money!

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-07-11 05:01:00 UTC
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Yesterday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the release of $1.2 billion dollars in funding from the Recovery Act for homeless programs across the country.

Yes, billion. With a 'B.'

According to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, this stimulus money will construct a bridge. And we're not talking infrastructure, here. A bridge between being vulnerable and being stable in housing. The money will trickle down to over 500 cities, counties, and communities across the country. Each recipient can use the funds as they'd like, within certain parameters, of course. Here's a few examples from the AP: 

A program in eastern Idaho, for example, would use stimulus cash to provide one-time payments for rent or mortgages to those who are facing eviction. In Fresno, Calif., the stimulus would be used to dismantle tent cities and move residents into privately owned apartments.

So what's so darn special about this money? First, it's needed critically at the moment. With a recession on our hands and unemployment at a 26-year high, the number of homeless families is only expected to rise without funded early interventions. 

But perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the Recovery Act funds is the new emphasis on prevention over shelter. Keeping people out of the system rather than cycling them through. According to Secretary Donovan, over half of the Recovery Act funds are being spent on prevention programs.

Will these funds curb the increasing trends in homelessness among certain sub-populations, such as families? Will success mean an overhaul of our shelter system? Is $1.2 billion enough to do the job?

Only time will tell. 

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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