FUNDING UPDATE

In late September, 2009, the city government issued contract renewals to various organizations providing housing and supportive services to individuals and families that are homeless. The contract renewals contained sizeable cuts in the level of funding, with House of Ruth slated to lose nearly $500,000.

A coalition of providers of services to people who are homeless pressed for restoration of the funding.  Following hearings before a key committee of the City Council, city officials announced that the funding would be restored.

The city has issued contracts through April, 2010 that restore the funding. We are being given verbal assurances that the funding will be sustained thereafter, but we don’t have anything in writing. In the absence of a contract or any other written commitment to full funding for the entire year (October 2009 - September 2010), we remain concerned about the stability of the funding from the city after April, 2010.