U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge made a stop at the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida in late October. Pathway Homes CEO Sylisa Lambert Woodard was part of a leadership delegation that welcomed the Secretary.
The Secretary held a roundtable and met with people with lived experience. She also listened to a continuum of care panel discussion that explored the issue of homelessness including public/private partnerships, successes in a competitive housing market, and Orlando’s COVID-19 response. As part of this, Lambert-Woodard addressed permanent supportive housing and a housing focused system.
During the visit, the Secretary surprised the group, announcing that the FL-507 Continuum of Care would be receiving $8.4 million over the next three years to help house and support homeless youth. The funding was in response to the number of homeless youth in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties, the highest in the state. Central Florida was one of only 17 jurisdictions across the country to receive the funding, which comes from HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program.
“Meeting the Secretary was an honor and her genuine interest in the plight Central Florida’s struggling families and the organizations that are working hard to improve their lives was evident,” said Lambert-Woodard. “HUD’s surprise funding is going to help change the life trajectory of youth who experience poverty and homelessness in Central Florida, and we are excited and grateful.”
“When you get people out of homelessness while they are still young, you’re stopping what is too often a downward spiral of poverty, joblessness, physical and mental health problems and despair,” explained Martha Are, CEO, Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, in response to the grant.
As a partner in ongoing efforts to prevent and end homelessness in the community, Pathway Homes of Florida works with the Central Florida Homeless Services Network to use funding from HUD, the Central Florida Foundation, Orange County, the City of Orlando and other public and private partners to move individuals from homelessness into permanent stable homes. Pathway provides services to chronically homeless adults with severe mental illnesses, substance abuse disorders and/or other co-occurring disabilities.
Secretary Fudge concluded her visit with an aspirational goal for youth. She discussed her focus on increasing young adult homeownership, which has been declining since the 1960s and is more pronounced for African Americans. Homeownership is a significant wealth building tool, and she is committed to addressing myths on debt and credit as well as sharing information on how federal programs can assist those who view homeownership as an impossibility. Moving struggling youth along the continuum to help them dream and achieve homeownership is a worthy goal.
