The Florida Department of Children and Families has released $776,000 to eight local nonprofits fighting homelessness in Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Putnam counties.
The TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness, the new lead agency for the Continuum of Care (CoC) that applies for these funding cycles, said the money will go toward rental assistance, rapid rehousing, emergency shelter, diversion programs and more.
The funds will be split as follows:
- St. Francis House—$91,283
- Peaceful Paths—$25,000
- Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Corporation—$64,398.08
- Lee Conlee House—$19,025
- Family Promise of Gainesville—$150,800
- Catholic Charities Bureau—$197,782.50
- Another Way—$35,000
- Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry/GRACE Marketplace—$193,300
United Way of North Central Florida coordinated the CoC application for these grants. The TaskForce will now take that role as lead agency. The search for a lead agency caused concern over whether the CoC would be ready to apply for future grant cycles after no one stepped up for the role.
The TaskForce later reached out and applied. It’s the first time the nonprofit, based in Ft. Lauderdale, has served as lead agency. The TaskForce said it anticipates more funding coming this year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The 2024 point-in-time survey showed a 17% decrease in homeless individuals from 2023.