PORT ANGELES – Clallam County commissioners will follow the recommendations of a task force on how to spend more than a million dollars for homelessness in the area.
Yesterday, commissioners agreed with the homelessness task force report on the funding. Of the $1.25 million dollars marked for programs, the task force recommends about half of it go to one agency, Serenity House of Clallam County. That organization is the chief agency in assisting homeless in the area.
Mary Hogan chaired the Homelessness Task Force.
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Eight agencies requested money totaling more than twice the amount that was available. Serenity House had asked for nearly two million dollars, it will receive about 800-thousand dollars.
Doc Robinson is Serenity House executive director and praised the task force for dealing with the problem without enough money to meet the asks.
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Concerned Citizens and Healthy Families of Clallam County will each receive about $95,000. $100,000 will go to Sarge’s Place in the Forks to support a case manager for homeless veterans. The Answer for Youth will receive about $70,000. OlyCap gets $25,000 to run the warming center in Sequim.
In capital money, which comes from a separate fund, the county will distribute about $212,000. Healthy Families will get $73,000 for its emergency shelter. Serenity House will receive about $60,000 for repairs at its facilities. The Answer for Youth will get $23,000.
The funding amounts are the total grant awards covering the next three years.
Last week, county commissioners decided to explore taking management of the money back under direct control. It will spend the next two years exploring if that makes more financial sense for the county’s administration of the state grants.