Minn. groups receive $21M grant to aid homeless

Minnesota groups that provide homeless services Tuesday received more than $21 million in federal grants to continue operating.

The money will go to 163 organizations that provide permanent and transitional housing. The one-year renewal grants will also pay for services such as health care, job training and mental health assistance to help homeless people stabilize, said Michele Smith, HUD's director of community planning and development in Minneapolis.

"These transitional housing projects, the purpose of them is to provide not only housing but the services and support that people need to learn the skills, get the resources they need to live independently permanently," Smith said.

The goal is to help people transition into living independently, Smith said. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development awards are part of the Obama Administration's plan to prevent and end homelessness. Federal officials say many of the projects that received funding rely on these federal grants to pay for services.

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