Contra Costa County Gets $1M Grant to Provide Housing for Homeless Families

Homeless families in Contra Costa County will get some extra help finding a home thanks to a $1 million grant awarded to the county’s Employment and Human Services Department, county officials said today. The state awarded Contra Costa County the grant earlier this month for a California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids, or CalWORKS, Housing Support Program, which will provide needy families with help finding a home as well as assistance covering security deposits, rent and moving expenses.

About 100 CalWORKS families in Contra Costa County will receive funding from the one-year grant, said Lauren Brosnan, a spokeswoman for the county’s employment and human services department. Families enrolled in CalWORKS who are chronically homeless, have a parent with a history of homelessness, a parent under 24 years old or a child under 6 years old will be given priority for the grant money, county officials said.

“In Contra Costa County there is a greater need for prevention and re-housing assistance than we can provide,” said Kathy Gallagher, director of the county’s Employment and Human Services Department. “Many CalWORKs families that receive brief immediate assistance need more sustained financial assistance and supportive services to gain stable housing.” The Housing Support Program will be modeled after the Housing and Urban Development’s Rapid Rehousing Program and will incorporate service models used by homeless aid organizations in the county such as Shelter, Inc.

“Rapid rehousing helps homeless families and their children quickly re-gain housing,” said Lavonna Martin, Homeless Program Director for Contra Costa Health Services’ Behavioral Health Division. “This program is part of the permanent solution to homelessness.”

CalWORKS is a state welfare program that provides immediate short-term cash aid and services to eligible needy California families. The state allocated $20 million in grants to counties to administer the CalWORKS Housing Support Program, according to Paul Buddenhagen of Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services.

The state is expected to evaluate the success of the grant-funded program before deciding whether it will continue the grant in the future, he said.

By Bay City News

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