CONSOLIDATED PLAN & STRATEGY 5-YEAR ... - City of Lakeland

The local Salvation Army converted beds for single men and women to family beds.
They have set an outreach network through communicating with local churches, City
and County social services staff.
The Homeless Housing Staff grant funding for PATH outreach project was
implemented. Staff members, from a local homeless provider venture out to
homeless provider areas and homeless camps and provided the homeless person
with information on a variety of social services. Over 150 persons have been placed
into programs in the last year.
Lakeland Habitat is concentrating its efforts on placing extremely low income families
in homes. The City partners with them with its Urban Homesteading Program and
assistance with down payment and closing cost.
Lakeland will continue to support existing local homeless programs with CDBG and
local government public services funding.
HCPC will examine methods that the CoC continue to utilize the HMIS system to
increase the use of the database by homeless service providers and to increase client
service capabilities.
Strategies for the Prevention of Homelessness
HCPC has noticed a significant increase in family homelessness and hundreds of calls
are being received indicating the imminent risk of homelessness affects many
families in our community. Polk County was allocated $1,222,000 to assist
households and individuals, countywide, to remain in their homes. The HCPC has
been appointed as lead agency to administer the Housing Prevention and Rapid Rehousing
Program.
The City of Lakeland and Polk County were allocated over $16 million in
Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds to purchase foreclosed homes, renovate
them and to resell or rent them to income eligible households. HUD has set aside
25% of the entitlement amounts that must be expended to benefit households at or
below 50% of the area median income. The City, County and the CoC provider
agencies are exploring the disposition of the homes through the transfer of homes to
CoC provider agencies.
An active network of government agencies, non-profit organizations and churches
provide a wide range of self-sufficiency programs and direct homeless prevention
services such as rental assistance, utility payments, medical expense payment,
transportation, emergency food and miscellaneous emergency funds to families and
individuals. A list of the local agencies is on the HCPC’s website at
www.polkhomeless.org. This includes agencies from emergency shelters to dental
care to legal aid services. Some of the public sector programs, private non-profit
agencies and ecumenical organizations providing these services are listed below:
• Catholic Charities, Lakeland and Winter Haven –- Rent and utilities assistance.
• Salvation Army, Lakeland and East Polk County – Rent and utilities
assistance.
• Women Resources Center, Winter Haven – Rent and utilities assistance.
• Lake Wales Care Center, Lake Wales-– Financial assistance.
3-5 Year Strategic Plan 54