The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gives Wyoming $1M to combat homelessness

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – As inflation and interest rates increase, many are seeing a rise in the homeless population.

Well, new funding is hoping to tackle that problem.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, announced they are making a big push to tackle homelessness by awarding over $3 Billion to programs nationwide.

“This is going to help programs that are already in existence, but it’s also going to help expand the footprint. Like I said, we can’t do this work alone and rely on our partners. In doing what we can to make sure that every single person is able to live their best lives,” said Dominique Jackson, Regional Administrator for HUD Rocky Mountain West.

Of that $3 billion, the continuum of care program awards were given to over 7 thousand communities, representing the largest annual federal funding provided through HUD in history.

The Biden Administration has awarded over $1 million to Wyoming communities to tackle homelessness.

This money will help expand housing and supportive services projects, like the Yes House in Gillette and the Council on Community Services in Campbell County, helping people in urban and rural areas.

It will also provide resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“We are really excited that we are able to support the people of the great state of Wyoming and the non-profits and the other programs and entities in the continuums of care in the state of Wyoming in order to help people who are experiencing homelessness,” said Jackson.

As of the 2019 data, Wyoming has almost 550 homeless people.

Experts say the pandemic-era protections and programs like emergency rental assistance, the child tax credit, and the earned income tax credit prevented evictions and helped to prevent a spike in homelessness in 2021.

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