With no money to match, homeless advocates decline federal grants
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Metro organizations that assist people experiencing homelessness sometimes skip federal grant applications because they can't meet requirements or are understaffed, officials from multiple groups tell Axios.
Why it matters: Money is being passed up in the metro each year even as homelessness has increased and local leaders scramble to find housing solutions.
Context: Des Moines has cleared dozens of encampments in recent months.
- City Council members have vowed to increase services for people experiencing homelessness after this month passing an ordinance that bans public sleeping and camping.
Driving the news: Anawim Housing, Iowa's largest provider of permanent supportive housing, recently gave up seeking a renewal of its roughly $1.3 million federal grant.
- The $77,000 allotted for administrative purposes did not cover the group's actual managerial costs, president Cynthia Latcham tells us.
- Administrative allowances were not adjusted in the 26 years that Anawim received the grant. The organization decided to end the contract and reapply in hopes of getting more favorable terms, she says.
State of play: Anawim's current grant, which runs through April, supports nearly 130 metro homes for low-income families.
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is expected to announce awards for the upcoming fiscal year by the end of January.
Zoom in: The grant also requires a 25% local match, which Anawim will continue to pursue if HUD approves it.
- Yes, but: Those local matches require ongoing fundraising and have prevented the organization from seeking some other grants with match requirements, Latcham said.
The big picture: Anawim's struggles are common among groups assisting unsheltered people, says Angie Arthur, director of Polk County's homeless services planning organization Homeward.
- Another example is a new $175 million construction grant HUD announced in July. Applications are due in November, but it's uncertain if any metro organizations will apply, Arthur said.
What we're watching: Governments and area service organizations are working to better track financial or in-kind contributions that can qualify for federal grant matches, Arthur and Latcham said.
- In some cases, the community likely already meets match requirements and additional contributions may not be required, they said.