The U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced that HUD has awarded $1.5 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 grants to fund the operation of 7,000 state and local homeless, housing, and service programs across the country. Among the local programs to receive the funding are those that administer street outreach, client assessment, and direct housing assistance. To view a full list, click here. HUD is expected to award additional grant funding for hundreds of other local programs later this year.

While automatic across-the-board budget cuts under sequestration that began on Friday, March 1, will not affect the FY 2012 funds awarded today, Donovan warned that future cuts in spending could reverse significant progress toward preventing and ending homelessness. "During this challenging budget climate," Donovan said, "We must make certain that we don't balance our books on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. When we make event modest investments in these programs, we see a measurable decline in homelessness."

View the HUD Press Release