The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently awarded the City of Texarkana, Texas $338,705 in homelessness assistance funding as part of a competitive grant competition under the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Program. This award represents the City’s eighth year to receive this critical funding that provides resources to prevent homelessness as well as rehouse and stabilize homeless citizens in our community.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $2 billion in grants to renew funding to 5,800 local homeless housing and service programs across the country. This highly competitive grant is open annually to collaborative partnerships that successfully address homelessness. “Strategic planning and a collective effort from various organizations across Texarkana helped secure this funding for the past eight years”, stated Texarkana Texas City Planner, Daphnea Ryan.
The City of Texarkana, Texas applied for Continuum of Care funding in partnership with the Texarkana Homeless Coalition, a network of community-based service agencies in Texarkana USA represented at our Doorways Home Campus located at 902 W. 12th Street, Texarkana, Texas. The Doorways Home Program serves as a one-stop coordinated entry site with representatives from the Veterans Administration, Mission Texarkana, Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter, and the Ark-Tex Council of Governments, utilizing the COC funds as well as Emergency Solutions Grant funds received from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Development.
The ultimate goal of the program is to end homelessness by providing critically needed support for our community-wide commitment to the needs and issues surrounding individuals and families who are near homeless or experiencing homelessness. “For more than a third of the families, this is their first experience of homelessness. Research shows us the faster a community can assist these families with housing needs, the more likely it is that the family will regain their stability,” says Ryan.
“Randy Sams’ is delighted to be a partner in this endeavor to help those experiencing homelessness move into homes quickly,” says Helen Diggs, Executive Director of Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter.
“Success really is dependent upon the hard work of our participants, the guidance they receive from our case workers, and local landlords who are so gracious to work with us,” stated Alaina Marcum, Texarkana Homeless Coalition Chair and Assistant Director of Mission Texarkana. “Having financial assistance to get into housing makes all the difference for people trying to get back on their feet. The collaborative bi-state efforts of our agencies make a great impact on addressing homelessness in our community”, Marcum explains.
