The county will receive a $60,383 grant from $5.4 million in funding awarded statewide to combat homelessness.

Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin announced Tuesday that more than $5 million in funding to assist homeless families in finding housing and combating homelessness is provided through the federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program.

The 2020 ESG funding falls into six categories: rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter, homeless management information systems (HMIS) and administration.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides ESG funding through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.

The county applied for the funding for its rapid rehousing program, said Amanda Feltenberger, director of integrated services at the county Human Services Department.

Rapid rehousing helps individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness, fleeing violence or living in a home not suitable for human habitation to swiftly move to stable housing.

“We use it primarily for rapid rehousing. It provides rental assistance and case management for homeless individuals and families,” Feltenberger said.

She said the county uses the money to hire Catholic Charities to identify homeless people and conduct an assessment to determine the most effective way to provide assistance and connect them with suitable housing. Any organization that identifies homeless people can refer them to the county, Feltenberger said.

Assistance can include medical care, mental health care, employment training, education and rental assistance, she said.