The Wake County Board of Commissioners accepted $582,164 in Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during their regularly scheduled meeting, today, Monday, May 4, 2009. The funds are part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and will provide approximately 150 Wake County citizens with assistance, including rental subsidies and utility payments, to help stabilize their living situations and prevent them from becoming homeless. Funding may also be used to limit the duration of a recipient's homelessness.

In order to receive funding, candidates must:
· earn less than 50 percent of the area median income ($38,450 for a family of 4),
· be currently homeless,
· be in institutions, or
· be renters in imminent danger of becoming homeless.

Eligible individuals and families may receive up to 18 months of assistance and are expected to be self-sufficient in their housing after that time.

Wake County has partnered with the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness and the City of Raleigh, which received $991,091 in HPRP funds, to develop a plan to implement the grant. As a result, both the County and the City will use nonprofit partners, selected through a combined request for proposal process, to administer the funds. Additionally, the County's funds will provide assistance to those living outside the corporate limits of Raleigh, while the City will use their funding to help those within city limits.