INDIANAPOLIS (February 23, 2005) ? Governor Mitch Daniels and Lt. Governor Becky Skillman today accepted a check for $19,408,967 to provide shelter and care for Hoosiers without a home of their own. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary Dennis Shea presented the check to the governor.

?This record level of funding will greatly help the people fighting everyday to assist Hoosier individuals and families who might otherwise be living on the streets,? said Daniels. ?As I have said many times, Indiana?s comeback must involve all 6.1 million Hoosiers, and that includes our neighbors without a home.?

The Bush Administration is providing Indiana with approximately $16 million in Continuum of Care grants. These grants assist programs that provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons, as well as job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, and child care. These funds will benefit the Continuum of Care of South Bend/Mishawaka/St. Joseph County ($1,577,073), Evansville/Vanderburgh County ($493,455), Indianapolis ($3,689,953), and the State of Indiana ($10,632,166).

Emergency Shelter Grants convert buildings into homeless shelters, and assist in the operation of local shelters and homeless prevention programs. Approximately $3 million will be provided to the state to provide critical funding to programs across Indiana.

The record level of funds for Indiana is part of more than $1.4 billion announced nationwide by the Bush Administration. The monies are being awarded to more than 4,400 programs across the nation.

?President Bush is deeply committed to supporting our most vulnerable neighbors and today I am pleased to reconfirm that commitment,? said Assistant Secretary Shea. ?This unprecedented level of funds will go directly to those on the front lines, who work tirelessly everyday to bring an end to chronic homelessness, and who provide services to those without a home of their own.?

For more information about the specific programs being funded in Indiana, contact Bill Shaw at the Indianapolis Office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 317-226-6303 (extension 6322).

-30-