The Grays Harbor County Board of Commissioners has approved two agreements for the dispersal of grant money to provide rental assistance to the chronically homeless and study the need for a low-barrier homeless shelter.
A grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides for $184,428 “to provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless clients,” according to information submitted by Julie Myers of Grays Harbor County Public Health and Social Services. “The majority of this work will be done by our sub recipient, CCAP (Coastal Community Action Program), in the form of rental assistance, supportive services and administration, with a small amount being allocated for (Public Health and Social Services) administrative costs.”
The grant agreement has $110,592 in rental assistance to be administered by CCAP and an additional $61,746 for supportive services. The remaining $12,090 go toward administrative costs. This is part of CCAP’s ongoing rental assistance program.
Commissioners also approved an agreement for up to $2,500 with Interfaith Works for professional services related to exploring the need for a low-barrier shelter in the county. Interfaith Works is an Olympia-based nonprofit organization that includes projects for the homeless.
The contract agreement states Interfaith Works will provide “Consultation, facilitation, and technical assistance to facilitate collaborative, productive process to examine the community need for low-barrier shelter and opportunities to leverage available community resources to best meet the need.”
Low-barrier shelters are those that don’t place a large number of restrictions on who can live there, the idea being to remove barriers to shelter for the homeless. Barriers can range from simple paperwork to rules that restrict people for their drug or alcohol use.
Commissioner Randy Ross said Interfaith Works’ research into low-barrier shelter options in the county is just a first look to determine if it’s a good fit for the region. The $2,500 comes from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.
