Joyce O'Tool, county coordinator at Red Rock Community Action Center, will be gathering applications from public or private voluntary agencies that are interested in applying for the funds.
"We've had the program at least 10 years. The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program is under the FEMA program," O'Tool said. "FEMA has a board of all these people that decide and then they send it down to the states. A group of people here in Iowa decides how much money each community action center gets. Last year we received less - $6,204 and this year we got $9,352. I think they base it on the percentage of unemployment in your county."
O'Tool believes that the Red Rock Community Action Center received more money this year due to the rise of unemployment in Boone County.
"I have a local board made up of the Salvation Army, Red Cross, United Way and Ministerial Association - there is a total of 12 members. One of them has to be a previously homeless person, as well. They will determine how the Boone County money is going to be used," she said.
O'Tool said right now, the Red Rock Community Action Center is trying to get the word out to all of Boone County that these funds are available and that voluntary agencies can apply for them. In the past, usually no other agencies applied for the funds, so the Red Rock Community Action Center has to apply for them and then they would receive them from the local board. If they receive the funds this year, they already have plans to put them to use, she said.
"Red Rock has to apply to the local board to get the funds because usually no one else applies for them," O'Tool said. "We will use them to pay one month of rent or a mortgage, one month of utilities, the first month of rent for a homeless individual or to put them in a motel for temporary housing. The limit is $200 per situation and it can stop utilities from being turned off. The whole program is to help prevent homelessness."
Public or private voluntary agencies that are interested in applying for the grant are encouraged to contact Joyce O'Tool by stopping by Red Rock Community Action Center, 606 Greene St., by calling 432-5052 or e-mailing jotool@rracap.org to receive an application.
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Reach staff writer Katie Stines at kstines@newsrepublican.com
