San Antonio, Bexar County receive $14.6M to aid homeless residents

The city of San Antonio and Bexar County secured a total of $14.6 million in grants and 47 stability vouchers from the federal government to help address local homelessness, participants of an April 17 news conference said.

Officials with the local nonprofit South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless said San Antonio/Bexar County was one of 29 U.S. communities to receive a total of $171.2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support 115 projects to help unsheltered individuals in urban and rural settings.

SARAH is the lead Continuum of Care organization in addressing homelessness in the San Antonio area.

Additionally, the local nonprofit housing authority Opportunity Home was one of 139 public housing agencies nationwide that received 3,300 stability vouchers, which allow people experiencing homelessness to obtain and afford housing.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said this new round of grant funding will help hundreds, if not thousands, of San Antonio families thrive in spite of financial and housing challenges.

"We are all in on ending the cycles that contribute to housing insecurity, lack of economic mobility, socioeconomic inequities and generational poverty. We are ensuring we are putting our entire communities' strengths behind it,” Nirenberg said in a statement.

SARAH officials said they look forward to partnering with local organizations San Antonio Hope Center, SAMMinistries and Haven for Hope in launching projects in upcoming months, including initiatives aimed at providing permanent supportive housing, and additional street outreach and rental assistance efforts.