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A $1 million federal grant could help St. Louis take as many as 150 homeless men, women and children off the streets next year.
The money targets people who need a little extra help — cash for a deposit on an apartment, new job skills or maybe a lawyer to clear up a nagging legal issue — and works to get them into a new place as quickly as possible.
The strategy, called "rapid rehousing," works off the idea that if people don't have to constantly worry about finding a place to sleep at night, service providers can help them work through whatever issues put them on the streets in the first place.
"What they need is short-term help to get back into housing and on their feet," Mayor Francis Slay says, adding that the population targeted by the grant accounts for the majority of the city's homeless.
Slay spoke Tuesday at a news conference at Biddle Housing Opportunities Center, the city's new $2.5 million facility where the nonprofit St. Patrick Center and Peter & Paul Community Services operate a hub of services for the homeless, including an overnight emergency shelter for nearly 100 men.
The new grant is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and will be executed by St. Patrick and Gateway 180, another nonprofit that fights homelessness, as part of a coordinated effort.
ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit law firm that works with the city's indigent, has also signed on to help with legal support, such as eviction proceedings and lingering warrants that can keep people from finding apartments.
City officials and service providers say the majority of St. Louis' homeless residents need only minor to moderate assistance.…
Clik here to view.
A $1 million federal grant could help St. Louis take as many as 150 homeless men, women and children off the streets next year.The money targets people who need a little extra help — cash for a deposit on an apartment, new job skills or maybe a lawyer to clear up a nagging legal issue — and works to get them into a new place as quickly as possible.
The strategy, called "rapid rehousing," works off the idea that if people don't have to constantly worry about finding a place to sleep at night, service providers can help them work through whatever issues put them on the streets in the first place.
"What they need is short-term help to get back into housing and on their feet," Mayor Francis Slay says, adding that the population targeted by the grant accounts for the majority of the city's homeless.
Slay spoke Tuesday at a news conference at Biddle Housing Opportunities Center, the city's new $2.5 million facility where the nonprofit St. Patrick Center and Peter & Paul Community Services operate a hub of services for the homeless, including an overnight emergency shelter for nearly 100 men.
The new grant is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and will be executed by St. Patrick and Gateway 180, another nonprofit that fights homelessness, as part of a coordinated effort.
ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit law firm that works with the city's indigent, has also signed on to help with legal support, such as eviction proceedings and lingering warrants that can keep people from finding apartments.
City officials and service providers say the majority of St. Louis' homeless residents need only minor to moderate assistance.…
