Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban and Development has approved the state's plan for administrating $8.2 million of Recovery Act funding for homeless prevention. The approval means Colorado
"These funds will help provide people who are struggling the most during this downturn with vital housing assistance," Gov. Ritter said. "This is an important supplement to existing efforts to assist Coloradans in need of essential services during these challenging times. It's another example of how we are putting the Recovery Act to work quickly as we lead Colorado
The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) will be administered by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Three administrative subcontractors will be selected to implement the program, one subcontractor in each of Colorado 's three "Continuum of Care" regions: metro Denver , Pikes Peak and the remainder of the state.
"Helping Coloradans obtain access to affordable, decent housing is one of our top priorities during the recession," said Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. "These funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will make a real difference in the lives of people facing some very urgent circumstances in their housing situation. We're pleased to be charged with administering these funds to help strengthen Colorado
The subcontractors selected to administer the funds will work in their respective Continuum of Care region to design and implement a process that networks homeless service providers, housing authorities and other nonprofit agencies.
These local nonprofit entities will be under the management of the designated subcontractor and will use these dollars to target HPRP resources for homeless or at-risk households for: (1) financial assistance (including short-term rental assistance, medium-term rental assistance, security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and motel or hotel vouchers); or, (2) housing relocation and stabilization services (including case management, outreach, housing search and placement, legal services, mediation, and credit repair).
For additional program information, contact:
Lynn Shine, Division of Housing
303-866-2046
Shannon Picaso, Division of Housing
303-866-5306
For more information about the Recovery Act, visit www.colorado.gov/recovery, and for more information about Recovery Act programs administered by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, visit www.dola.colorado.gov.
