County’s grant for homeless falls short

By Mary Grzebieniak

The grant provides rent assistance to those who are having financial difficulties.

MERCER, Pa. — Mercer County has received a renewal of its Homeless Assistance Grant for the fiscal year beginning July 1, but the funding falls short of meeting local needs.

County commissioners said Wednesday the county received $156,260, the same as it did for the current fiscal year, for the program funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.

Although this does not meet local needs, Mark Thompson, housing director at the Urban League of the Shenango Valley, says he is glad the funds were not reduced. He said that agencies had been warned to expect cuts.

The money is used to provide one-month’s rent assistance for residents who have suffered financial setbacks and face eviction for rent delinquencies. It also provides the first month’s rent for people who have had past financial trouble and are financially getting back on their feet.

Thompson said the program is helping 250 to 350 cases annually in the county, which translates to 600 to 700 people. He said the waiting list for the program is several months long.

He said anyone facing eviction who is on any public assistance program should first contact their caseworker and ask for Emergency Shelter Assistance. Others should contact the Urban League, Community Action Partnership, or the United Way.

Thompson said the league also runs a program to help those facing mortgage foreclosure. The league receives about $40,000 per year for a National Mortgage Foreclosure Counseling Program to provide counseling to those in default on mortgage payments or in foreclosure.

Forty to 50 people already have been served by the program. But he added that the program grant was only half what the Urban League applied for, and he pointed out the county is seeing 30 to 60 foreclosures monthly.

Area residents receiving foreclosure notices automatically receive contact information for the Urban League’s counseling program, Thompson added.