A collaboration between the Arlington County government and social-safety-net provider PathForward has received a three-year, $1.28 million federal grant to provide homeless-support services in the county.
The funds will aid those who are living outdoors and who, without supportive services, are unlikely to be able to achieve or maintain housing.
“For people living on the streets, under overpasses and bridges, in encampments and in other settings unfit for human habitation, both physical and mental health can rapidly deteriorate,” said Betsy Frantz, president/CEO of PathForward (formerly the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network). “Most will not live into their 50s.”
The grant funding “allows us the opportunity to provide them a path to safety, stability and housing,” Frantz said. “This is a game-changer.”
The local effort was one of two in Virginia, and 46 nationwide, to receive funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“We look forward to rolling up our sleeves, implementing this new project, and sharing progress and learning as we go,” said Triina Van, the homeless-services coordinator in the county government’s Department of Human Services.
