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S.F. to get $19.8 million aid to homeless

Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, February 20, 2009

(02-19) 18:11 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco has received $19.8 million in federal grants to help the homeless and stands to gain a lot more federal funds in the coming months.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday announced $1.6 billion in nationwide grants for homeless services, including housing, job training, health care, mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment.

Other Bay Area cities received funds, too, including $20.2 million for Oakland, $8.8 million for Richmond, and $5.2 million for cities in San Mateo County.

That money has been infused into local governments each February for years, but this year, San Francisco expects to gain even more due to President Obama's stimulus plan.

The president's plan includes $24 million for pilot programs in 23 cities to quickly house families made homeless by the economic crisis.

While the stimulus money has not yet been awarded, San Francisco expects to receive $2 million of that money, which ties for the most with New Orleans.

In San Francisco, the waiting list for homeless families seeking a spot in city shelters has doubled in the last year - spiking from 75 to 162.

Dariush Kayhan, the mayor's homelessness policy director, said the city hasn't seen an increase in chronically homeless, single adults - the ones who tend to be most visible - due to the economic crisis.

But he said it's a different story for families, many of whom are renters who lose their housing when their landlord's property goes into foreclosure or who live paycheck-to-paycheck and can't pay the rent if they lose their job.

"We're seeing a direct result of the economic downturn and foreclosure crisis on families," he said. "We look forward to quickly getting those resources to the families that desperately need them."

The pilot money will be funneled through the city to......................http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....e=politics&tsp=1