Spokane County residents who are on the brink of homelessness may be eligible for a new program intended to help with rent payments and other services. The Spokane County Community Services, Housing, and Community Development Department has received a $622,278 grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help individuals in need before they become homeless.
The grant money is being made available through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which allows Spokane County to administer the Homelessness Prevention (HP) program. The federal housing agency expects that these resources will target households that are most in need of temporary assistance and are most likely to achieve stable housing.
Specifically, Spokane County will focus these dollars on residents in unincorporated areas, as well as the cities of Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Latah, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Millwood, Rockford, Spangle, Spokane Valley and Waverly.
The HP grant funds will primarily be used for rental assistance and will not provide mortgage assistance, legal or other fees associated with retaining homeowner housing. However, renters who are about to become homeless may receive assistance with utilities and rent. The HP program defines utilities as those required for water, heat and waste. Ineligible costs include telephone, cellular phone, cable, internet, credit card debt, transportation costs, car repair, food, medical, dental, clothing, home furnishings, pet care, licensing, training, construction or child care. All funds are issued directly to a third party and not directly to program participants. All qualified recipients will be linked to consumer credit counseling, equipping them with successful household budgeting skills.
Eligibility criteria include; residence in one of Spokane County’s outlying areas, demonstration of 50 percent or less of the Area Median Income, lack of subsequent housing options and a lack of financial resources and support networks needed to remain housed. As an example of the income eligibility criteria, a family of 4 would be eligible if their total gross household income was $30,100 or less per year. The Spokane County 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan demonstrates that over fifteen thousand households in the county’s outlying areas meet the income-eligibility criteria of earning less than 50 percent of the Area Median Income.
For more information, the public should call 2-1-1. Those interested in applying for assistance must first complete a screening survey. Applicants may call 2-1-1 and apply over the phone, access the survey directly at www.spokanecountyhprp.com or learn more about the program and access the survey on the county website at www.spokanecounty.org. Simply click on the Homelessness Prevention Program icon on the home page.
The county foresees that many eligible households may have little to no exposure to social service programs. As such, the HP program is designed to guide new or hesitant applicants through the HP process and to link them with other community resources should they have more intensive needs.
Again, for more information on the Homelessness Prevention Program, the public should call 2-1-1 or go to www.win211.org. The screening survey is also available at www.spokanecountyhprp.com or on the county homepage at www.spokanecounty.org by clicking on the Homelessness Prevention Program icon.
Additional sources of information
Area Median Income information: http://www.spokanecounty.org/data/housingcommunitydevelopment/homes/HOME%20rents%20and%20incomes.doc
Spokane County 2005-2009 Consolidated Plan:
http://www.spokanecounty.org/data/housingcommunitydevelopment/cdbg/2005-2009%20amended%20CONSOLIDATED%20PLAN%20.pdf
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