Stimulus funds to help Warren’s homeless

By Ed Runyan

A police captain is preparing an application that might help with police staffing.

WARREN — The city’s homeless or near-homeless are among the people who will receive help from federal stimulus money.

Michael Keys, Warren community development director, said $541,184 in stimulus money promised to the city under the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program is among millions in federal money coming to the city from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The homeless money is among the first grants the city has received from the stimulus package approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in February.

The program will pay over the next three years for short-term rental assistance of up to three months or medium-term assistance of four to 18 months, Keys said.

It can also help with security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, and motel/hotel vouchers for up to 30 days.

And it pays for case management of such people, including arranging and monitoring housing services, Keys said.

Homeowner and mortgage assistance is not part of the program.

The program is expected to begin operation this summer or fall, Keys said. Assistance will be provided by agencies getting the money from the Community Development Department, not directly from the city, Keys noted.

Keys’ department also has learned the city will receive $353,798 in stimulus money from HUD in a program known as the Community Development Block Grant.

So far, however, Keys doesn’t know what types of programs will be eligible for the funding. HUD is still preparing the guidelines for the money and is expected to provide the guidelines next month, Keys said.

The city normally receives about $2 million per year in CDBG money to benefit people with low or moderate income. CDBG money is typically used for projects such as resurfacing streets, demolishing abandoned homes, rehabilitating homes or assisting nonprofit organizations, Keys said.

The $353,798 in stimulus money will be received in addition to the $2 million the city usually gets, Keys said.

The city learned last year that it would get about $2 million from the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 approved by Congress last summer.

Most of that money will be used over the next three years. Its primary use will be to demolish 60 to 70 homes per year.

As part of this year’s stimulus legislation, federal lawmakers approved additional neighborhood stabilization money, Keys said.

The city is likely to know in April how much more neighborhood stabilization money will be coming here from that grant, he said.

The police department is among various departments in the city applying for other stimulus money.

Capt. Tim Bowers is preparing an application that may enable the city to receive stimulus money to fund the return of police officers who are on layoff.

Stimulus money also is available to preserve police jobs, but cities receiving such money must keep the officers for at least four years and contribute 30 percent of the money to pay the officers, Bowers said.

It is too early to tell whether the application will produce any financial help for the department, Bower said. The city laid off 20 police officers Jan. 1 because of budget shortfalls.

runyan@vindy.com