HPRP Funding

Capacity; the ability to hold, receive or absorb.
Infrastructure; the basic structure or features of a system or organization.

The Federal Government through the Housing of Urban Development [HUD] is ready to distribute portions of the stimulus package aimed at restarting the American economy and providing support funding as well for critical issues - like homelessness.

A part of this stimulus focus is going for what is called HPRP funding. HPRP is a condensed acronym meaning Homeless Prevention Rapid-Rehousing Program. The City of Toledo is scheduled to receive 3.2 million dollars to distribute among agencies the City identifies as capable of this level of distribution.

The program is a good idea, and communities who are ready with the level of capacity and infrastructure to identify those persons and/or families who are near homeless and have the same structure to identify those persons and/or families who could be rapidly re-housed will do well to receive this funding.

There is a bit of a catch though, the money has to be spent quickly. By quickly HUD mandates the money must be spent within 18 months. Now, you wouldn't think this would be a problem because there is so much need - right?

Wrong.

The fact is the Government is on to a good thing here - but haste still makes waste. The need is in fact so great, there is a chance that without the right capacity and infrastructure in place unfortunate and rather unintended consequences are likely to occur.

Let me list just one problem related to how rapidly the money must be spent:

1. Without the dollars to sustain the housing, through what could be a need longer than 18 months, the people including families who have been helped, will find themselves once again facing difficult choices and balancing precariously on the edge of homelessness.

There is workforce development money within the HPRP funding. But without job creation there won't be jobs for those who are being trained to go to.

Like many leaders of Rescue Missions around the country I support, and Cherry Street participates in, the Continuum of Care [COC] within our community. The COC is designed to identify the organizations who are serving as well as identify the gaps within the service continuum.

Despite what you may hear, the COC in Toledo is not comprehensive enough in its capacity and infrastructure to adequetly distribute the HPRP funding. My concern, and I'm not alone, is that the funding could potentially create ultimately more problems than it solves.

What the availability of these funds should be telling us [City of Toledo] is that we don't have enough of the community at the table to make our COC comprehensive. These funds should be telling us we need to get our house in order so that when funds are available we're ready for them.

I'll hasten to add however, that if our COC house was in order there more than likely wouldn't be as a great a need for the funding as there is.

Here's today's question; 'Are you ready to activate within our community in ways you've never been active in order to have what you've never had or seen?'

Let me know: danrogers@cherrystreetmission.org

Dan Rogers
A Runner