United Way of the Capital Region

Perry County Housing Partnership: United Way of the Capital Region (UWCR) provided working capital to fund the first comprehensive housing assessment in Perry County. The housing assessment developed key recommendations and identified specific housing priorities for Perry County. Some of the recommendations include the need to develop information on residential crowding, prepare a specific extract for Perry County to identify needs and trends, create a unified database and coordinated service plan for homeless-assistance programs and food banks, review Tri-County population projections for accuracy, and establish incentives to maintain safe standards for renters. The housing priorities identified were shelters and transitional housing.

Thanks to the efforts of UWCR, Perry County has developed a non-profit housing board, which UWCR staff serves on. Also, a Perry County Housing Coordinator will be hired to work with the non-profit Board. This position is funded in part by a multi-year $100,000 grant from the Perry County Commissioners. For the first time in the history of Perry County, the County has received HUD Funding through the Continuum of Care grants, totaling more than $650,000 for transitional housing and housing for low-income residents of the county. This funding was made possible by the newly formed Perry County Housing Board, which UWCR helped to form and provide seed money for its incorporation.