FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:    Richard Faris, Lee County Human Services
                (941) 652-7930

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 21, 2001) – Lee County agencies will receive $1.9 million next year to provide housing and supportive services to homeless families and individuals – part of $1 billion in grants announced Tuesday by President George W. Bush and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez.

The grants, part of HUD’s Continuum of Care and Emergency Shelter Grant programs, will help the homeless to find emergency shelter, transitional housing and a permanent home.

The local grants – part of $54.9 million distributed in Florida – will go to Southwest Florida Addiction Services ($613,279), the Salvation Army Comprehensive Care Program ($1,064,138), and the Salvation Army After-Care Program ($222,069), to fill critical needs for permanent supportive housing and continue programs delivering a broad range of health, housing and employment services for Lee County homeless residents.

The Lee County 2001 Homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) application covered all local jurisdictions. Lee County’s Department of Human Services is responsible for grant planning, application and administration. The nonprofit Lee County Coalition for the Homeless, Florida, Inc. and its member providers implement the Continuum of Care programs. Continuum programs have the goals of homelessness prevention and restoring homeless families, individuals, and children to housing and independent lives.

The grants are competitively awarded, funds are not guaranteed, and the competition to receive them becomes stiffer each year. Lee County and the Coalition are pleased to have been successful in convincing the judges that this area’s homeless program is viable and effective.

Lee County received grants of $1.7 million in 2000 and $2.2 million in 1999.

Nationally, it is estimated that more than 200,000 homeless individuals will be helped by the grant. The total homeless population in Lee County is estimated at up to 2,000 on any given night.

The Homeless Coalition of Lee County also will conduct its annual " Homeless Census Blitz" in January. Local volunteers and service agencies participate in this 24-hour effort to locate and document every homeless person in Lee County and make them aware of available services. To volunteer for the count, call Roy Quimby at the Lee Homeless Coalition, 418-1007.

For more information on the recently announced grants, view this press release from HUD http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr01-117.cfm