Bishop announces federal grant for Open Arms Inc.

ALBANY – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr., D-Ga., a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, has announced that Open Arms Inc., a nonprofit organization in Albany, has been awarded a federal grant of $245,709 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help provide emergency housing and emotional support to youths that do not have a place to live due to homelessness, domestic violence, family conflict, human trafficking or other circumstances.

“Homelessness is a vicious cycle that leaves individuals vulnerable and cripples their ability to get ahead, including securing employment, health care, and needed social services,” Bishop said in a news release. “The Transitional Living Program offers our young people, who have faced unfortunate circumstances, a lifeline to get back on their feet, beat homelessness early on, and become self-sufficient. Programs like this which support vulnerable youths are essential to community-building and setting young people on a path to find jobs, secure permanent housing, and contribute to the local economy.”

“We are so grateful to receive this grant,” Rosalynn Fowler Fliggins, the associate executive director for Open Arms Inc., said. “It was an incredibly competitive process, and securing this funding was critical in helping us serve the youths here in Dougherty County and southwest Georgia. This funding will allow us to immediately house homeless, runaway, street, and trafficked young people between the ages of 16-22.

“As they matriculate through this program, they will receive safe and stable housing, basic needs, life skills with personal life coaches, educational opportunities, job skills training and placement, mental and physical health care, and permanent connections with caring adults and peers. They will literally be moved from the streets to become self-sufficient citizens. This grant literally will save lives, and the entire community will benefit from the outcomes. We want to publicly thank Congressman Sanford Bishop for his advocacy and continued support in ensuring there is funding for runaway and homeless programs in our community and country.”

Every year, thousands of minors and young people in the United States become homeless for a variety of reasons. Some run away from home to protect their safety, some are asked to leave, and some face economic distress that leaves them experiencing homelessness. The Transitional Living Program addresses the needs of older youths, ages 16-22, who cannot safely live with their own families by providing them a safe place to live for up to 540 days in most cases.

Transitional housing includes group homes, host family homes, maternity group homes and supervised apartments.

Grantees of the Transitional Living Program award are responsible for connecting the young people they serve to the necessary social services, law enforcement, educational services, vocational training, legal services, health care programs, and affordable child care programs in the community. The grantee organization must also develop and supervise a Transitional Living Plan for each individual to ensure that they have the best chance possible to attain self-sufficiency after completing the program.

The Transitional Living Program was passed by Congress in 1988 as part of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act to address a growing need for long-term, supportive assistance that emergency shelter programs were not providing youths. The grant is administered through the Administration for Children and Families-Family and Youth Services Bureau at HHS.

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