Concord Ledger

This month, it was announced that the state of New Hampshire will be receiving more than $3.4 million in total grants to address homelessness in the state, particularly among youth, says U.S. News and World Report.

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), this issue is becoming increasingly common in the state and around the rest of the nation. 

The grants will be provided by the federal government as part of a larger effort to curb homelessness around the country. In total, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide $142 million in grants to states around the country to help. 

Though the COVID-19 pandemic certainly amplified the problem, the fact is that homelessness rates were on the rise throughout the U.S. even before the pandemic began, according to New Hampshire Public Radio. The Department of Housing and Urban Development hopes that the grant money can help to fund programs around the country that are aimed at solving the problem and providing resources to the homeless. 

As of January of last year, the state of New Hampshire alone had an estimated 1,675 people experiencing homelessness on any given day, according to the USICH. Over the course of the year, the U.S. Department of Education has said that an estimated 3,971 public school students in New Hampshire experienced homelessness at some point. 

Common uses for the grant money include rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, host homes, youth advisory boards, child welfare agencies and other community-based programs.