Lehigh County Commissioners approved a couple of grants totaling $200,000 designed to help reduce homelessness in the county at their Aug. 25 meeting..

Bipartisan support showed the program’s popularity across the political spectrum when Republican Jeffrey Dutt joined his Democratic colleagues in the vote.

Allentown Rescue Mission will get a $30,000 share of the grant package to support its mission of providing food, clothing and shelter for homeless men. The money will also support the mission’s Transformation Program, which provides help with computer skills, resumé writing, interview skills, interview techniques, workforce development courses and tools to help homeless men to find a job.

Aspire to Autonomy Inc. will get $45,000 to provide emergency services care to female victims of human trafficking.

CACLV/Sixth Street Shelter gets $30,000 for their Rental Assistance Program for COVID-19-induced economic crises by helping families experiencing homelessness to secure and maintain stable housing.

New Bethany Ministries Inc. will get $25,000 for its Housing Assistance Program, which keeps people in their current residence by providing rental and financial assistance for Lehigh County residents.

$45,000 goes to Ripple Community Inc.’s Village Housing Program for its “housing first” model that combines supportive housing with services to maintain their long-term housing.

SELF! Lehigh Valley got a $25,000 “down payment toward planned facility to provide housing for women coming from prison or emergency crisis.

A second grant for $200,000 goes to the “Returning Citizens Reentry Services” program with $44,263.50 for The Ortiz Ark Foundation (to “Remove/reduce barriers to successful reentry by working with law enforcement and community partners on developing job competitiveness, attaining stable housing, supporting children/families, and contributing to their communities.”

A grant for $44,263.50 goes to the SELF Lehigh Valley organization for “Programs for reentering women - individualized case management, mentorship, certified peer support specialists, parole compliance, and crisis intervention.”

Another grant for $86,473.00 goes to Pinebrook Family Answers for its “Leaving Jail Program - evidence-based classes and highly individualized one-on-one case management for reentering [formerly incarcerated] women.”

Another grant of $25,000 is for Tools 4 Success for its “County Support Program - help those coming out of prison/work release to comply with parole and probation obligations, while providing the tools needed to help the client avoid recidivism, and allows the client to become a successful and productive part of our community via additional methods and streams of support.”

The Youth Violence Prevention Program got grants for $127,000 going to three organizations.

A share worth $47,000 goes to The Caring Place, Inc. to “Help youth and adolescents increase self-esteem and self-confidence, act as child advocates, increase teens’ awareness of educational and career opportunities, and increase youths’ employability skills.”

A grant for $30,000 goes to Manito Life Center for “Equine assisted activities and therapies [that] will help to reduce violence in Lehigh County youth,” while $50,000 goes to The Ortiz Ark Foundation to “Help youth to chart a path to graduation, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.”

Lehigh County Commissioners also reallocated Community Development Block Development Grant money previously approved for, but not used by the designated agency. The following are some of the reallocated CDBG recipients.

Aspire to Autonomy will get $28,000 for “Operating costs to start-up a shelter for single, female victims of human trafficking.”

Catholic Charities will receive $29,700 for “Up to 3 months of rent and utility assistance to 25 LMI households. $20,790 requested for direct assistance. Remaining for casework and operating.”

Communities in Support of the Lehigh Valley is slated to get $25,000 for “Case management of 20 low income, at-risk students who require truancy interventions and additional case-managed support to overcome mental and behavioral health challenges and successfully complete their academic goals at LCTI.”

Lehigh County Community College will get $ 6,000 to support “ESL (English as a Second Language) class at Whitehall High School targeted to parents of students to promote strong parental involvement in education by improving their ability to converse with teachers and assist their children with homework.”

The Center for Independent Living will get $25,000 for “provid[ing] 50 consumers with housing options and connect consumers to community services they need to achieve or maintain their independence. Staff will also educate private landlords, property managers, and realtors on the benefits of renting to people with disabilities.”

New Bethany Ministries is slated for $15,430 in re-allocated CDBG funds for “The representative payee (RP) program accesses Social Security funds of participants and pays essential bills on their behalf. The CDBG funding would pay for the salaries of staff to carry out the Lehigh County portion of the full RP program, which amounts to 7 clients.”

North Penn Legal Services will get $10,000 for “Housing-related legal aid to 40 LMI people. 2 housing outreach sessions.”

The Literacy Center will receive $15,000 for “ESL, ABE, and GED (General Educational Development) instruction to 30 adults.”

Other allocations can be found at https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/lehc/Board.nsf/Public.