New Castle County Council received several sources of federal funding to fight homelessness.
The county receives Continuum of Care funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing assistance and supportive services.
The county also received about $11 million in funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury through the SIPPRA Family HOPE Project. County Council voted to appropriate about $1.4 million of those funds at a recent meeting.
County Councilmember Penrose Hollins said affordable housing is one of his major focuses and he’s excited his county was selected to receive SIPPRA funds.
“We competed for it, and we won it,” Hollins said. “But what it does is it maintains more housing, housing for a longer period of time for families in New Castle County who need housing. But every jurisdiction the country didn't get – it is very limited. So now that we got it, we’re celebrating. It's a big deal.”
The SIPPRA program announced New Castle County’s award in December 2024.
The money will help put a program in place to provide up to 90 days of temporary housing, two years of rental assistance and two years of case management and supportive services
County Council also authorized its Department of Community Services to use about $122 thousand of the $3.7 million it received from several HUD programs to operate eight housing units.
Hollins said County staff chose to focus on the chronically unhoused population because the need was greater.
“That's why everybody doesn't qualify because everybody doesn't meet the criteria,” Hollins said. “Everybody is homeless, not chronically homeless, like everybody who wants a house doesn't qualify for Section Eight. All this criteria comes from the federal government.”
Hollins says County staff applied for funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and were fortunate enough to be one of the grant recipients.
Families who move into the eight units will have access to onsite services including medical and mental health care, substance use treatment, food and transportation assistance.
