Harlan Countians for a Healthy Community (HCHC) recently received a $127,000 grant from Kentucky’s Housing and Emergency Assistance Reaching The Homeless (KY HEARTH) program. This initiative is part of the national American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and the federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program.

Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) administers the KY HEARTH Program throughout the state. It is a federal program which helps prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and helps those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly rehoused and stabilized.

“We are very excited to provide this much needed service to the citizens of Harlan County,” said Teana Burns, executive director of HCHC. “We will be using the funding for staff salaries and to assist the citizens of Harlan County with utility disconnects.”

Gov. Steve Beshear said the Kentucky 2009 Point-In-Time Count of the homeless revealed almost 7,000 people outside the two largest metropolitan areas in the state were on the verge of homelessness, meaning precariously housed.

Precariously housed means those who are doubled or tripled up with family or friends, living in substandard housing conditions or expecting eviction within seven days with no community support network to assist them.

Beshear said these individuals typically have not been eligible for assistance because they do not meet the definition of homelessness used by other federal housing programs. The KY HEARTH funding can be used to assist these individuals and prevent them from becoming homeless said Beshear.

Eligible individuals and families may receive assistance through this KY HEARTH grant received at the HCHC agency in Harlan said Burns. Financial assistance will be in the form of rental assistance (including rental arrears), security deposits, utility payments, utility deposits, moving cost assistance, and motel and hotel vouchers. In addition, supportive services will be available to help assisted individuals and families to stay housed. These services will include case management, credit counseling, identifying appropriate housing and some legal services said Burns.

“By preventing homelessness through addressing its root causes we can improve the lives of these Kentuckians,” said KHC Chief Executive Officer Richard L. McQuady.

For more information or to see if you qualify for assistance through the KY HEARTH program grant, now available in Harlan County, you may contact Kristen Clark, homeless prevention specialist, at 573-6115 or come by their office located at 605 Short Street (located in Sunshine) in Harlan.