Bucks County Orgs Get State Funding To Fight Homelessness

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Nearly $1.5 million state funding is being doled out to nonprofit agencies in five Pennsylvania counties to assist residents experiencing homelessness and to prevent future homelessness in the state.

A total of $1.4 million in Emergency Solution Grant CARES Act (ESG-CV) funding was approved for ten organizations in five counties.

In Bucks County, the grant awards include $512,761 for A Woman's Place, a domestic violence resource center based in Doylestown; Family Service Association, a Langhorne-based nonprofit that helps at-risk populations experiencing homelessness and substance abuse; Valley Youth House, a homeless shelter in Warminster; and YWCA Bucks County, which is based in Trevose.

About 350 county people are homeless in Bucks County, and more than one-third of them are children, according to the Family Service Association.

“All Pennsylvanians need a safe place to live, and this critical funding will continue to help individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness to get back on their feet,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a news release announcing the funding. “Through trusted, community-based organizations, this program assists families facing homelessness through outreach, local emergency shelters, and rehousing assistance.”

The funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development CARES Act appropriation, which provided for two allocations of homeless assistance funds to individuals and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks) said the funding will help local families affected by the pandemic.

“The emergency shelter operations of these remarkable service organizations will provide residents with a safe place to live as they begin to rebuild economic stability,” Santarsiero said. “Much progress has been made to combat COVID-19 and together we will continue to rise up and grow stronger as we move forward.”

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