March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 39 F

Schuh commits $2.4M to combat homelessness in Anne Arundel

County Executive Steve Schuh today announced Anne Arundel County was awarded $2.43 million in competitive federal funding to end homelessness.

The award, which was granted to the County from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the nationally competitive Continuum of Care (CoC) program, will support 14 different ongoing projects working to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals and families in Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis.

“Collectively, the projects funded will provide 175 units of stable, affordable housing to our community’s most vulnerable homeless individuals and families,” said Schuh.  “I am extremely proud of our Continuum of Care planning process and the work of our partners, who come together, align resources, develop common policies and help get our neighbors off the streets.”

“The resources garnered through the application to HUD are critical to Anne Arundel County,” said Kathleen Koch, Executive Director of Arundel Community Development Services, Inc. (ACDS) which leads the application process and coordinates the Continuum of Care on behalf of Anne Arundel County. “Over the last decade, we have been able to increase the funding available to the County by approximately 44% and every dollar is working toward our goal of ending homelessness.”

The majority of CoC funds will provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals – that is, individuals who have been on the street for a long time and who may have mental health, physical health, or substance abuse disorders.  One such program is the Safe Haven II program, which is operated by Arundel House of Hope.

A portion of the CoC award will support Catholic Charities’ Rapid Re-Housing Program, helping homeless families quickly locate housing in the community and avoid being on the streets with their children. Other service and shelter providers funded by the CoC include the Mental Health Agency, Arundel House of Hope, People Encouraging People, and the Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County.

The Anne Arundel and Annapolis Coalition to End Homelessness is coordinated and staffed by ACDS in its capacity as the County’s primary housing and community development agency. The Coalition consists of over 50 County and City of Annapolis agencies, concerned citizens, and nonprofit homeless service providers working together to shape the County’s efforts to end homelessness. In addition to planning Continuum of Care activities, the Coalition is responsible for conducting reports on homelessness in the County, including the Point-in-Time (PIT) count, the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR), and the Anne Arundel County Homeless Report.

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