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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUMTER COUNTY HAS BEEN AWARDED FEDERAL FUNDS UNDER THE EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM (EFSP) PHASE 35

May 4, 2018- Sumter County has been awarded $37,258 to supplement Emergency Food and Shelter Programs in the county. The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Jewish Federations of North America, The Salvation Army; and, United Way Worldwide. The Local Board was charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country.

A Local Board made up of United Way of Lake & Sumter Counties, Mid Florida Community Services, Mid Florida Homeless Coalition, Inc., et al. will determine how the funds awarded to Sumter County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area. The Local Board is responsible for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds made available under this phase of the program.

Under the terms of the grant from the National Board; local agencies chosen to receive funds must:
1) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food, shelter, or utility assistance programs
2) be eligible to receive Federal funds
3) be private voluntary non-profits or units of government
4) have an accounting system
5) practice non-discrimination
6) if they are a private voluntary organization, they must have a voluntary board
7) applicants must be on the Mid Florida Information Network system or willing to participate (Local Board recommendation)

Applications are now available.
Agencies interested in applying for EFSP Phase 35 Program funds may:
• Email a request to mfhcopeningdoors@gmail.com
• Pick up an application at the Mid Florida Homeless Coalition office located at
104 E. Dampier St., Inverness, FL, 34450 (Office hours are 8:00am-5:00pm Monday-Friday)
Phone: 352-860-2308

Completed applications are to be submitted to Mid Florida Homeless Coalition via mail or drop-off. The deadline for application submission is July 12, 2018 by 5:00pm. ... See more

Ring the bell!!!!

It's been an exciting week for our Housing Locator! Two more homeless households are now housed! Great work to Amber Tucker and to the Case Managers at LifeStream and Catholic Charities!

Exciting stuff this evening! Our Housing Locator, Amber Tucker, shared at 6:41pm via text with the MFHC staff that a homeless Lake County family was housed this evening. Ring the bell!

Then at 7:43pm this evening, she rang the bell a second time for a Sumter County family!

Two bell rings in one evening! Awesome news!!

In the last two weeks, Amber Tucker, our Housing Locator, and Cassie Fountain, an Outreach Case Manager, helped agencies with Rapid Rehousing grants house 6 homeless households. In our office, we ring a bell when someone becomes housed. So with so much being handled outside of the office Amber sends a text message: Ring the bell! whenever she helps find housing and successfully gets a family leased up. It's a great way to share the excitement about helping another family find a home.

Thanks to Amber & Cassie, and United Way of Citrus County, Catholic Charities in Spring Hill, and LifeStream Behavioral Center for their hard work these last couple of weeks! ... See more

Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Brooksville Ridge for the opportunity to share about Mid Florida Homeless Coalition and how we can all work together to end homelessness one household at a time!

Diversion is a key service we can provide! Victoria is attending Diversion Training from the Florida Housing Coalition, hosted by Marion County CoC.