Money for homeless may be a lost cause again

The coalition that would seek HUD funding has not been organized, and that may doom its chances to get a comprehensive application in on time.

By RYAN DAVIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 18, 2001

LAND O'LAKES -- The federal homeless assistance money that Pasco County has repeatedly failed to seek will probably slip away again this year, members of the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County said after a meeting Wednesday.

"It's a race against the time clock," said Philip Kahal, a retired social worker and the head of the coalition's application subcommittee.

At least some think it's a losing race.

The comprehensive application for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homeless grant will likely be due in May. A date has not been set yet, HUD spokeswoman Sharon Johnson said during the meeting at the Land O'Lakes Senior Services Center.

The coalition, a collection of the county's social service agencies that meets monthly, has started to shift its focus from advocacy to distributing grant money, but it waited until Wednesday to hold its first subcommittee meeting.

"We weren't organized," said Sister Joan Foley, the founder of the coalition. "The problem is getting everyone together."

The last round of HUD money, which accounts for nearly all of the agency's funding targeting homelessness, was distributed last month.

Pasco was the most populous county in Florida not to get a penny. No Pasco agency -- a non-profit or a branch of government -- even applied for the money.

The county's pro-rata share, which is based on population and demographics, was $846,518.

Kahal thinks the coalition can put together a proposal by May, he said.

The group will make a final decision next week about submitting an application this year, Kahal said.

Foley and Joanne Huber, a social worker for the Pasco County School District, said they expect another year to pass by before the group applies.

"I think our coalition needs to be more structured," Huber said.

Foley added that this is the furthest along the coalition has come in exploring the grant.

The 15-year-old coalition is the only group that brings together representatives from the county's homeless service agencies. Its leaders claim 40 members, but it has long gone about its business in an informal manner.

It established its first permanent office last year.

To submit a successful application, the group needs to find matching funding to demonstrate local support; detail a plan for getting homeless people to shelters, then transition housing, then permanent quarters; and assess the services most needed in Pasco County.

Developing a coordinated effort looms as the biggest challenge, Kahal said.

At least the beginnings of local assistance are already in place. The county has set aside $125,000 in state money for this and the next two fiscal years as potential match money, said Dianne Morris, the county's community development manager.

The coalition also hopes to get public support, Kahal said. He suggested the coalition develop a public relations arm to combat the growing belief that the homeless don't want help.

"If you're talking about some of the men in the woods," Kahal said, "there's a few of them out there that that's their lifestyle."

Members said that school of thought excludes people already in shelters and those living temporarily with a friend or relative.

According to a fall 1999 count by the coalition, there are 2,188 homeless people in Pasco County.

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