More women and children will have access to housing now that Schuylkill Women in Crisis has been awarded $80,245 in grants from the federal government for its transitional housing program.
The two-year program provides housing to women and children who have been homeless or have been victims of domestic or sexual violence and need a place to stay.
"This is really a neat program. It really gives them a chance to grow and develop," Marie Canfield, SWIC property manager, said Monday in one of the homes in what is called Transitional Housing 2.
Each transitional housing component has four townhomes for a total of eight units.
The funds are provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of its Continuum of Care Program.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, announced the two grants earlier this month. One grant is for $30,368 and the other for $49,877. The first grant is for Transitional House 1 and the second for Transitional Housing 2.
SWIC needs to come up with a 20-percent local match for each of the grants and will gratefully accept contributions from the public to meet the requirement. People wishing to contribute may go online to www.s-wic.org or call 570-622-6220.
Women and children initially stay in an emergency shelter before moving into the transitional housing. The residents meet with caseworkers and work to better themselves by meeting criteria to improve their life situations.
Bettering themselves, according to Sally Casey, SWIC executive director, could include employment, pursuing an education or addressing a medical condition. A resident may also have a child with a medical condition that needs attention, Casey said.
She also said there is a waiting list.
Money via the Continuum of Care Program also is used to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness, for efforts by nonprofit providers and state and local governments to quickly re-house homeless individuals and families to minimize trauma and dislocation, to promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs and to optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness, according to the HUD website at hud.gov.
Casey said SWIC will use the funding for the operating costs of the buildings, case management services and other costs associated with the program.
"SWIC's Transitional Housing Project was originally developed in response to the deaths of three children from two families - all former shelter residents - as the substandard dwellings in which they resided burned to the ground in two separate fires. All of the children were under the age of 3," Casey said.
Finding good affordable housing can sometimes be a challenge, she continued, adding, "The county has some of the oldest housing in the country."
"Very nominal rent" must be paid for people to reside in the homes, Casey said.
Several of the homes already have occupants.
"Our goal is to keep them filled," Casey said, adding that it benefits the women if they have a place to stay.
Casey also said SWIC appreciates the grant funding, for which it applies on a yearly basis.