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Grant goes to homeless teens Community Works will provide shelter, services By Sara Murphy Homeless teens in Southern Oregon are among those who will benefit from a $1 billion federal grant package aimed at helping the nation�s homeless move off the streets. During his final holiday address to the nation Saturday, President Clinton announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award more than $1 billion in grants to help homeless individuals and families obtain housing and support services. The grants represent the largest amount of homeless assistance in U.S. history and will finance 2,600 programs nationwide, according to a HUD news release. Locally, the Transitional Living Program at Community Works is set to receive $229,420 to provide services and shelter to homeless youth in Southern Oregon. "This is very good news," said Arnie Green, Community Works executive director. Green said the grant will provide about one-third of the annual budget for the Transitional Living Program, which provides safe housing for about 20 to 25 homeless youth ages 16 to 21. The program offers emergency short-term shelter, host homes, subsidized group homes and independent apartments, and it supplies services such as vocational training, health care and substance-abuse treatment. The program also offers support and case management services for an additional 70 to 75 youth per year who aren�t being housed. "We were worried we wouldn�t be able to provide all that," said Green, explaining he would have been forced to make cutbacks if the funding didn�t come through. Across the state, Oregon programs are set to receive about $10.9 million from the HUD grants, which consist of two basic types: Competitive "Continuum of Care" grants, which provide transitional and permanent housing and support services. "Emergency Shelter" formula grants, which help convert buildings into homeless shelters and fund related social services and homeless prevention activities. The lion�s share of the funding is distributed through Continuum of Care grants, which account for $9.56 million of Oregon�s allocation � an increase of 35 percent from last year. "It�s about $2.5 million more, which is a lot of money for this type of service," said Roberta Ando, community builder for the Oregon HUD office in Portland. "And we�re very pleased about that. "It says to me that the Oregon applications were quite good this year." Ando said the Community Works program was likely seen as a good fit for the funding because it deals with youth � an ever-growing group among America�s homeless population. "The number of people who are homeless is increasing," Ando said. "The face of homelessness is changing." Families and children have replaced the stereotypical single, unemployed male as the No. 1 population of people without a place to call home, she said. "On any given night, 37 percent of the people who are turned away from shelter are children under the age of 17." Reach Ashland bureau reporter Sara Murphy at 482-4655, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.