SAN ANGELO, Texas — The San Angelo City Council approved an agreement with Housing and Urban Development(HUD) for more than $186,000 for the Rapid Rehousing for the Homeless Program on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
During a presentation to San Angelo City Council, Bob Salas, the Neighborhood Services Director for Neighborhood and Family Services answered councilmember’s questions about the two-year-old program that helps to place homeless people into homes in San Angelo using funding provided through federal grants.
Salas said the program helped to place approximately 25 people and families into homes in the last year and provided them with additional training and assistance through case management through the San Angelo Public Housing Authority.
“These individuals were not chronically homeless,” said Salas, in response to a question from Council Member Lucy Gonzales. “They were mostly situationally homeless. Families with kids that lost their jobs.”
According to Salas, the rapid rehousing program works similarly to a Section 8 voucher program. Applicants who are approved for the program are moved through the Housing Authority’s system more quickly than those on the year-long waiting list for homes through the Housing Authority.
Mayor Brenda Gunter asked Salas what the Rapid Rehousing program did to help ensure recipients were put back into the workforce.
“That’s part of the case management process,” said Salas. “A case manager will walk them through from start to finish. We work with Workforce Solutions to get job opportunities.
“A lot of times we find that they don’t have identification, so we get them identification. A lot of times they need training, we’ll get them some training.”
The Rapid Rehousing program offers assistance to people experiencing homelessness for up to two years.
“You have two years to basically get on your own,” said Salas. “And hopefully what happens is you get somebody into the system and they’re successful they mature out and they could potentially stay on a section 8 program and have long-term support from the Public Housing Authority.”
Council approved the measure 7 – 0.