WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny Hoyer and Anthony Brown (all D-Md.) today announced the award of more than $3,482,000 in federal funding for Prince George’s County to tackle youth homelessness through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program.
The “Promise Prince George’s” initiative will support a comprehensive community planning process to meet the unique needs of homeless youth in this community. The process will engage youth and young adults with lived experiences to ensure that the services and housing solutions delivered through these federal funds best serve homeless youth. Building on the County’s current efforts, this work will be implemented through the existing network of providers and services for individuals experiencing homelessness, the Prince George’s County Continuum of Care for Homeless People.
“Every young person in Maryland deserves a safe place to call home. Connecting homeless youth with appropriate, targeted services will make an enormous difference in the course of their lives,” said Senator Cardin. “I am encouraged by the commitment of Prince George’s County to work in a collaborative way to develop the right solutions that will make a difference for so many young people at risk.”
“Far too many children and young adults face homelessness in Maryland and across our country – and far too little is known about this particularly vulnerable population. This funding will help Prince George’s County better understand and combat this serious problem,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees. “Together, we will keep working to ensure that all Maryland families have access to safe and affordable housing.”
“I’m pleased Prince George’s County will receive this important funding to help address youth homelessness in our communities,” said Congressman Hoyer. “We must continue working together to ensure all children in our County have a roof over their head and access to the resources they need to ensure they are prepared for success.”
“Every person deserves the comfort of a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep at night. I’m proud of those who are working day after day to make this ideal a reality,” said Congressman Anthony Brown. “The federal government’s partnership with Prince George’s County is critical to solving youth homelessness in our community, and I look forward to seeing progress from our continued collaboration.”
“One homeless child in Prince George’s County, is one too many,” said Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “We have been steadfast in our efforts to identify, provide resources and wrap around services to prevent extraneous circumstances that cause youth homelessness. We want our youth to know that their welfare is our priority and they are never alone. HUD’s FY2019 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Projects grant award of nearly $3.5 million dollars will certainly enhance our outreach efforts as well as enable us to provide them with more sustainable options and hope for a bright future.”
“Providers and advocates within The Prince George’s County Continuum of Care for Homeless People have prioritized improving services to homeless youth for several years and we are all ecstatic about this opportunity to further the work related this very important sub population,” said Prince George’s County Director of Social Services Gloria Brown Burnett.
HUD Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program funds may be used for permanent housing, transitional housing, supportive services, Homeless Management Information Systems, or homelessness prevention. Grantees may include nonprofit providers, States, and local governments working to quickly re-house homeless and unaccompanied youth. Funding is authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11381-11389, Title IV, Subtitle C, as amended.)
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