According to Debbie Conklin, Executive Director of the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board, “the importance of this count is imperative to our community. It provides critical information for HUD and other grants. It’s a broad community project enlisting the efforts of many agencies and individuals including the homeless that acknowledges and increases awareness of our community’s homelessness. But most importantly, over time, as we track our bed distribution in shelter and transitional housing, housing needs and other variables, we can better identify and maximize solutions that work in preventing, reducing and ultimately ending homelessness.” The estimated number of homeless individuals living in our community is approximately 1,000. However, no matter what the number, it is still unacceptable until everyone has a place to call home. The count will more accurately reflect the number of unsheltered individuals and help the community outline the steps and secure the federal funding needed to best meet their needs.

All twenty-four projects, recommended and submitted to HUD by the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board were renewed. The projects are administered by eleven agencies and provide homeless individuals and families with a wide range of services to assist them achieve and maintain permanent housing. These include: Transitional Housing; Permanent Supportive Housing; Support Services; Leasing Subsidy; Outreach; and, Medical Transport. In addition, these dollars employ fifty people and provide rental income to over 150 landlords.

Deb Conklin, executive director of TLCHB notes, “To say these funds are vitally needed is an understatement. Agencies stretch the funds as far as they can to provide safe and stable services and housing to as many homeless households as possible. These funds are also helping us respond to the new face of homelessness, those family households once adequately employed, former home-owners in some cases, who have very limited, if any, resources and continue to find themselves unable to secure affordable housing and at the bottom of the pile for employment.”

In today’s release, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today $1.5 billion to more than 7,100 local homeless assistance programs operating in the coming year. The funding supports the Obama Administration’s Opening Doors strategy to prevent and end homelessness.

The funding announced today is $62 million more than last year, the most homeless assistance ever awarded by the Department. HUD is renewing funding through its Continuum of Care programs to existing local programs as quickly as possible to prevent any interruption in federal assistance and will award funds to new projects in early 2012.

“The grants we’re awarding today will literally keep the doors of our shelters open and will help those on the front lines of ending homelessness do what they do best,” said Donovan. “It’s incredible that as we work to recover from the greatest economic decline since the Great Depression, the total number of homeless Americans is declining, in large part because of these funds.”

For more information on HUD’s efforts to assist communities with preventing, reducing and ending homelessness visit www.hudhre.info

Where: 915 N. Erie Toledo, Ohio 43604

Bring your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors! Enjoy light refreshments and tour our historic home filled with hope!

Meet former and current residents, board of directors, staff and volunteers.

Come see what your donations are doing to help change lives!!!

View Flyer

TLCHB will release and review applications for the 2011 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care Homeless Grant for NEW Permanent Support Housing Projects on:
Monday, September 19, 2011 – 9:00 a.m.
Toledo Business Technology Center
1946 N. 13th St., Conference Room B (4th Floor)
Toledo, OH.

Attendance is MANDATORY for all new applicants.
Meeting Agenda
New Project Application

All applicants (new and renewal) are encouraged to read the following HUD notices:

FY2011 Notice of Funding Policy Requirements and General
FY2011 Notice of Funding Availability
FY2011 NOFA Questions & Answers
FY 2011 HEARTH Act Summary

All Applicants should also review FY2011 CoC Competition links at www.hudhre.info

TLCHB New Project Application will be available here on Monday September 19, 2011.

2011 TLCHB CoC Renewal Application

Renewal applicants are encouraged to review HUD notices above.

Presenters include Robert P. McDivitt, Medical Center Director of the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and Shawn Dowling, Health Care for Homeless Veterans Coordinator of the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

The goal of this summit is to present, review and receive community feedback on the Veterans Affairs Plan to End Homelessness Among Veterans, and in particular, how best to align the efforts with the Toledo Lucas County CASE Plan to Prevent, Reduce and End Homelessness.

Space limits attendance to three attendees per organization on a first come, first served basis. You are encouraged, if possible, to have one of them be a veteran who receives services or is employed by your agency.

Registration is helpful, as a light continental breakfast will be served. You can RSVP here through an online form or send an e-mail to dconklin@tlchb.org.

Point in Time count to track homelessness — NBC24 / Toledo on the Move

Toledo’s annual homeless count looks at meal sites — Toledo Blade