Texas side and partner groups awarded grant to help homeless

Texarkana Gazette

A federal grant worth more than $338,000 will help Texarkana, Texas, and partnering organizations help the homeless.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the funds as part of its Continuum of Care Program, according to a city news release.

Competition for the grant is open annually to collaborative partnerships that successfully address homelessness. The city applied for Continuum of Care funding in partnership with the Texarkana Homeless Coalition, a network of community-based service agencies.

This is the eighth year the city has been awarded the funding, which provides resources to prevent homelessness and to rehouse and stabilize homeless citizens in the community.

The grant was part of $2 billion HUD awarded to 5,800 local homeless housing and service programs across the country.

“Strategic planning and a collective effort from various organizations across Texarkana helped secure this funding,” City Planner Daphnea Ryan said.

The Texarkana Homeless Coalition operates a 12th-Street campus called the Doorways Home Program, which serves as a one-stop coordinated entry site for homeless clients.

Doorways Home comprises representatives from the Veterans Administration, Mission Texarkana, Randy Sams’

Outreach Shelter and the ArkTex Council of Governments. It uses Continuum of Care funds as well as Emergency Solutions Grant funds from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Development.

The goal of the program is to end homelessness by providing support for a community-wide commitment to the needs of those near or experiencing homelessness, according to the release.

“For more than a third of the families, this is their first experience of homelessness. Research shows us the faster a community can assist these families with housing needs, the more likely it is that the family will regain their stability,” Ryan said.

“Randy Sams’ is delighted to be a partner in this endeavor to help those experiencing homelessness move into homes quickly,” said Helen Diggs, executive director of Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter.

“Success really is dependent upon the hard work of our participants, the guidance they receive from our case workers and local landlords who are so gracious to work with us,” stated Alaina Marcum, Texarkana Homeless Coalition chairman and assistant director of Mission Texarkana.

“Having financial assistance to get into housing makes all the difference for people trying to get back on their feet. The collaborative bi-state efforts of our agencies make a great impact on addressing homelessness in our community,” she said.