ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke City is expected to receive about $2.5 million from HUD this year, and it will use it on services such as homeless prevention, housing development and job training.
The city is expected to receive entitlement funds. Program Manager Katie Kennedy with Roanoke City’s Community Resources Department said the city receives entitlement funds each year because of its population, income and housing conditions.
“They use things like income information, information about our housing availability, housing stock, and use that formula to determine how much our community will get every year,” said Kennedy.
While the city expects $2.5 million, the final number won’t be known for another two weeks. That funding will then be split between 24 organizations to use from July 1, 2024 to June 2025.
In order to receive the funding, the city must submit a Proposed Annual Plan Summary. In the plan, it details how the city will spend the millions of dollars it will receive from HUD. Right now, there’s a public comment period until May 9. The city plans on submitting the plan by June 1.
In the Proposed Annual Plan Summary, the city plans on using more than $1 million toward services including housing development and job training. More than $150,000 will be used on services that prevent homelessness and more than $500,000 will go towards services supporting housing.
“Some of that is new housing development. Some of that is for rehabilitation of vacant structures to turn into a place where somebody could live but it also provides funding for homeowners who may not be able to do appropriate repairs and rehabilitation on their homes and so it allows those repairs to take place letting people remain in their homes,” said Kennedy.
While most of the funding from HUD will go toward housing assistance, some will go toward funding other services.
The Family Service of Roanoke Valley asked for $80,000 for free counseling for residents who live in the Roanoke Redevelopment Housing Authority sites. The organization will provide therapy at Jamestown Place and the Envision Center, which is near Landsdowne Park. Counselors will provide services in both the neighborhoods and its Roanoke office. The organization has provided and asked for this funding for three years.
”We understand that in counseling. People are talking about really sensitive occurrences that have happened in their life, whether that is in the past or something that is currently happening. And we want to be able to make that as safe and comfortable as possible. So that the individual is able to receive the service that they need,” said President Linda Hentschel with the Family Service of Roanoke Valley.