The summary of Housing Opportunity Program 2017 awards is now available on the Office of Economic Opportunity’s website: http://dcf.vermont.gov/sites/dcf/files/OEO/Docs/HOP-Grants-SFY2017.pdf The detailed summary includes a listing of all grantees & award amounts, a description of services provided, a chart showing how funds were allocated across the different strategies, and performance measurement standards. The Office of Economic Opportunity awarded over $5.9 million to 39 different agencies for State Fiscal Year 2017. This is an increase of more than $1.2 million over last year, due to investments of General Assistance (GA) funds from the Economic Services Division to create new community-based alternatives that decrease reliance on GA motels. The Housing Opportunity Grant Program provides funding to operate emergency overnight and day shelter; provide essential services to shelter guests; provide transitional housing where appropriate; rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families; prevent individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis from becoming homeless; implement coordinated entry to streamline client access to resources; and administer the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The Housing Opportunity Grant Program operates within the Opening Doors, Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness and the Vermont Plan to End Homelessness. The primary goals of the Housing Opportunity Grant Program are to
Decrease the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness;
Shorten the length of time people experience homelessness;
Reduce the number of individuals and families returning to homelessness; and
Prevent people from becoming homeless.
Congratulations to each of these organizations on the amazing work they do each day to prevent and end homelessness!