U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awards Iowa $8.8 Million for homelessness assistance initiatives 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that Iowa has been awarded more than $8.8 million in federal funds to support homelessness assistance initiatives through the Continuum of Care (CoC) program.

HUD’s CoC program provides critically needed support to local programs on the front lines of serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness.

“Iowa’s joint applications for the highly-competitive federal program requested $9 million and were awarded $8.8 million. To receive 98 percent of the funding requested is a testament to the successful collaborative effort of the many partners throughout the state who established strong funding priorities,” said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison. “These funds will soon be making a very real impact on the lives of Iowans in need.”

The CoC competition allows planning organizations (called Continuums of Care or CoCs) to apply for the program through one annual consolidated application.

In Iowa, there are three CoCs, including Des Moines/Polk County, Sioux City/Woodury County and the Iowa Balance of State CoC, which covers the rest of the state with the exception of Council Bluffs, as it is included in the Omaha CoC. The Iowa Finance Authority provides administrative support for the Iowa Council on Homelessness, which oversees the Balance of State CoC.

“The CoC program funding awarded to the Des Moines/Polk County CoC will make an impact on many Central Iowans,” said Polk County CoC Board Executive Director Mark Phillips. “The Polk County CoC will disperse the funds to numerous programs in Polk County to support rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing projects.

The Iowa Council on Homelessness reports that 17,301 Iowans experienced homelessness or were at-risk of homelessness in 2015.