Help For Homeless Coming To Riverside County

RIVERSIDE -Riverside County received a $5 million federal grant that will enable the county’s Department of Public Social Services to expand homeless support programs, including housing assistance.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development block grant will fund six permanent supportive housing programs and 10 transitional housing programs offered to dispossessed residents training for new jobs, according to county officials.

“The funding will give some of our families an extra year to find jobs and permanent housing,” said Ron Stewart, who supervises the Department of Public Social Services’ homeless programs. “They can enjoy the holidays and continue working toward a better future knowing they have this assistance.”

The grant also provides money for the department’s “street teams” to perform outreach services, locating people living in their cars or other makeshift shelters and advising them how to apply for assistance.

An estimated 3,400 county residents were identified as homeless in 2009, according to Stewart. Projections suggest a total 11,000 residents could end up on the streets at some point in 2010.