Over the past dozen years, Butler County has spent a little more than $4 million to pay for emergency shelter, homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing programs that have provided assistance to 1,713 households and 2,828 people.

During the school year, elementary students in Butler Area School District can receive meals for free from the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation and its Kids’ Weekend Backpack Program.

It’s easy to see there is a need to ensure our neighbors are housed and fed.

The county Human Services department is preparing an application for a $661,167 grant for programs to assist people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

If approved, the funding will pay for financial and rental assistance for the rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention programs, emergency shelters and intensive case management services.

With rental assistance and other financial assistance programs, the goal is to resolve homelessness in six months, but it can be extended in extreme situations. Homelessness prevention is aimed at those at imminent risk, including those fleeing domestic violence.

In 2024 and this year, the emergency warming center served 88 people representing 1,357 bed nights.

This year’s homelessness prevention funding request would serve 140 households, and the rapid rehousing request would serve about 35 households.

The 2023 grant results showed that 63% of those in emergency shelter situations went on to more permanent housing after leaving warming centers.

The rapid rehousing program had even more obvious success as 74% successfully connected to permanent housing and 100% did not return to homelessness.

The grant, if secured, is not a small amount of money and the work it would do here will not have a small impact. These programs are critical to protecting and caring for all of Butler County’s residents, from all walks of life.

Many people are closer to homelessness than you would imagine. One missed paycheck, one expensive health issue, one outrageous car repair and, suddenly, living paycheck to paycheck turns into a much more critical situation.

It’s scary to think about, but for many Americans, one unfortunate circumstance or bad financial decision could lead to an exceedingly hard time for families.

This is why community exists — to help keep our neighbors from sinking during hard times and get them back on their feet.

— KL