CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. 鈥� Baltimore, Prince George’s County and the D.C. are among 23 communities receiving a total of $75 million in federal funds to combat youth homelessness.
The $75 million was awarded as part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development鈥檚 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, which started in 2016.
The third year of the program is a significant expansion over the $33 million awarded to 10 communities in 2017 and the $43 million awarded to 11 communities in 2018.
鈥淭he goal of the funding was (initially) to really make a big impact in a few communities on youth homelessness.鈥� Norm Suchar, director of HUD鈥檚 Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs, said at a Thursday news conference.
Much of the program and the grant application process was designed with input from homeless youth.
鈥淧eople with lived experience with homelessness? They鈥檙e the experts, right?鈥� Suchar said. 鈥淪o we need to listen to them and they need to be involved from A to Z 鈥� in every part of the process.鈥�
Gloria Brown Burnett, director of Prince George鈥檚 County鈥檚 Social Services Department, agreed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to do this for them without them,鈥� she said.
Of the $75 million awarded, Prince George鈥檚 County received $3.5 million, Baltimore $3.7 million, and the District $4.3 million.
Deborah Shore, executive director of Sasha Bruce Youthwork in the District, anticipates that the funding will help homeless service providers within the area improve their current programs.
鈥淭he money follows the plan that gets developed,鈥� Shore said. 鈥淭he first part of all of this will be to create a planning process that takes into account everything that鈥檚 necessary.鈥�
Prince George鈥檚 County government officials joined other state and federal officials at the news conference at the Promise Place shelter in Capitol Heights. The officials accepted their grants from HUD Regional Administrator Joseph DeFelice.
The county鈥檚 grant will support its 鈥淧rince George鈥檚 Promise鈥� initiative, which assists youth ages 10-24 with housing, education and training.
DaeJanae Day, a first-year graduate student, mother, and former resident of Promise Place, said she hoped more programs like the county鈥檚 could be created to 鈥渉elp college students, or high school students, or anybody in Prince George鈥檚 County become a valuable citizen and responsible adult.鈥�
Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats, and Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore, Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Timonium, and John Sarbanes, D-Towson, issued a joint statement last week praising the grant to Baltimore and other communities.
鈥淓very young person in Baltimore and around the nation deserves a safe place to call home. Connecting homeless youth with the services that they need will make an enormous difference in the course of their lives,鈥� the lawmakers said.
