The COVID-19 pandemic has made it abundantly clear that the county needs more help to provide emergency support services and shelter space for our most vulnerable residents. To address this head on, Wake County is launching Bridge to Home, a service expansion program aimed at helping move as many people as possible to permanent housing.
The program will award a total of $10.5 million to homeless service providers to increase successful permanent housing outcomes in our community. Interested agencies can now apply for a portion of this funding through Wake County’s Housing Affordability and Community Revitalization Department.
“This is all about partnerships. When we work together, we can keep more people from living on the streets,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Sig Hutchinson. “This funding will help fill the gaps we’ve discovered and broaden services that are critical to the success of moving people into safe, affordable housing options.”
Bridge to Home was inspired by the Hotels to Housing program (H2H) that was launched in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. H2H demonstrated the efficacy of providing a full array of services at the shelter level to increase exits to permanent housing. Within six months, the program permanently housed more than 300 people, representing unprecedented success for the Wake County homeless service system.
Agencies applying for Bridge to Home are expected to provide all the listed services or demonstrate a partnership with an external agency that completes the service array:
- Comprehensive case management,
- Flexible financial assistance,
- Access to benefits,
- Transportation,
- Healthcare connection,
- Housing navigation, and
- Permanent housing home furnishings.
The $10.5 million available for Bridge to Home comes from American Rescue Plan Act funding, which the county received from the federal government.
Applications are due on Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. County staff will review the applications during the month of December, and the agencies selected will be announced in January 2022.
