The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the City of Topeka will receive $1.7 million to fund its homeless housing and service program, Shelter Plus Care. The City was awarded an additional $51,737 in planning funds to help the homeless population.
This announcement comes one day after the City reported an increase in the homeless population from its annual Point in Time Homeless Count.
According to the count, 365 people, and 297 households are experiencing homelessness in Topeka and Shawnee County. 40% of the homeless population are unsheltered, meaning they are not living in an emergency shelter or in transitional housing.
“Shelter Plus Care helps around 240 households on a given month. This renewal of funding can help some of those unsheltered individuals in the community, as that number is increasing,” said Corrie Wright, Division Director of Housing Services for the City of Topeka.
Shelter Plus Care is a program designed to provide rental assistance to homeless persons with disabilities, including severe and persistent mental illness, chronic problems with alcohol and/or drugs. Participants may choose their residence from units where the landlord agrees to accept the established housing subsidy, and abide by the Shelter Plus Care program guidelines.
In order to be eligible for Shelter Plus Care, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- You are homeless, living in the streets or shelter
- You suffer from one of the following disabilities; severe mental illness, chronic substance abuse, and/or HIV/AIDS
- You are receiving case management services through one of the designated agencies
For a full list of criteria, and for more information about Shelter Plus Care, visit https://www.topeka.org/housing-services/shelter-plus-care/.
Shelter Plus Care can only accept referrals from the agencies providing case management.