McKean County is one of 25 Pennsylvania counties set to collectively receive about two dozen grants totaling $6.3 million to combat homelessness.
YWCA Bradford and A Partnership in Housing will receive $160,000 in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), issued by the Department of Community and Economic Development. Funds can be used for prevention, emergency rehousing, street outreach, emergency shelter and related uses.
YWCA Bradford Executive Director Vanessa Castano explained that ESG dollars support the YWCA’s emergency shelter services, which include street outreach such as efforts to locate individuals living in their cars or in abandoned buildings and provide case management.
“Homelessness has existed in McKean County for decades, long before the YWCA began operation of its homeless shelter,” Castano said, adding, “The YWCA responded to the need for emergency shelter services by opening the shelter in the early 1990s.
“Like many in the community, we have seen an increase in the homeless population over the last five years,” she continued. “What the community may not yet see is that this includes the elderly population. Homelessness impacts everyone.”
The Department of Community and Economic Development estimates about 15,000 Pennsylvanians are homeless.
Castano said YWCA representatives have worked diligently to increase and diversify funding sources for shelter services, with some success.
“That said, the work of securing dollars for grant-funded programs is a continual one, and the shelter remains underfunded,” Castano stated.
She explained these federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) dollars are allocated to the states and that, most years, it is the program’s largest source of funding.
In a press release announcing the grants, department Secretary Rick Siger said, “The funding approved (Friday) will go to trusted community organizations to assist individuals and families experiencing or facing homelessness. The Shapiro administration is committed to helping the most vulnerable members of our communities, and ESG funding provides local governments and nonprofits across the commonwealth with the tools they need to help unlock critical housing resources to support them.”
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence will receive $750,000 for statewide efforts to provide emergency shelter, rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention.
A full list of awards is available on the Department of Community and Economic Development’s website.
“The YWCA Bradford and A Partnership in Housing collaborate well in order to secure these funds for McKean County,” Castano said, “and the YWCA Bradford is thankful to the commissioners and to our partners for making this work possible. As always, the YWCA Bradford thanks the McKean County community for its support of our services.”
Learn more about A Partnership in Housing at mckeancountyhousing.com or call (814) 887-5563. To learn more about YWCA Bradford and ways to help, or to donate online, visit ywcabradford.org.
