Catholic Charities of Buffalo has been awarded a $192,245 grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to support its Rapid Re-Housing efforts, which aim to help individuals or families who are homeless secure and retain permanent housing through rental assistance and support services.

RRH is used by Catholic Charities for transitioning individuals and families directly from a shelter into permanent housing with needed and appropriate resources.

To maintain RRH as a valuable option for ending homelessness, Catholic Charities administers the Buffalo Rapid Re-Housing Program, Emergency Solutions Grant program and the Continuum of Care programs that all include rapid re-housing as an appropriate form of assistance.

The goals of the program are to reduce time in a shelter by assisting clients in securing housing as quickly as possible, and provide support services that help eliminate barriers to maintain housing. Services may include limited financial assistance, help with securing income, budgeting, links to educational services and health care services. The financial assistance may include moving, storage, apartment application fees, security deposits, paying a portion of the rent and utility assistance.

Emergency shelters and outreach service providers work to respond to the immediate needs of the homeless, addressing food, shelter and security, and are often the first point of contact for individuals in need of this type of assistance. At the same time, shelters and outreach service providers make a connection with Catholic Charities to begin implementing housing and support services.

In all situations, Catholic Charities delivers support to meet immediate needs, and then assesses its clients for other needs to ensure long-term success. The Better Business Bureau Foundation of Upstate New York recently presented Catholic Charities with the 2015 Torch Award for Philanthropic Excellence.

For more information on RRH services, as well as basic and emergency assistance offered by Catholic Charities call 716-856-4494 or visit www.ccwny.org.