Project Selection and Funding

Answer

Project Selection and Funding

            The concern of UNITY of homing the homeless as a matter of urgency following their frailty is mind-arousing and verily a high calling (https://unitygno.org/housing-new-orleans-homeless-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/). The fragile health conditions (including mental, psychosomatic, and other co-occurring illnesses and disorders) of the homeless has been an underlying motivation of UNITY’s actions since its inception, underscored in its mission. Nevertheless, the organization admits that the unforeseen pandemic has escalated the need to house the homeless, making it a frantic agenda, with the regulations and restrictions put in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to provide shelter for the homeless is no longer a silent call but a loud cry, as everyone needs to ‘stay at home’, and get isolated, yet the open streets also lack sanitation, water, and food. This project is worth pursuing for its lasting effect on the lives of many who would be saved through it. The US government has estimated preliminarily that millions of lives have been saved through the ‘stay at home’ initiative alone, a factor that influences the viability of this project, as the homeless are continually endangered of the virus, though weather conditions are currently favorable. Therefore, this project that is intended to develop a 100-bedder homeless facility, though temporary, will be a lifting jack in the mission to which UNITY has committed itself as an organization.

            The project’s need were evaluated based on health principles and reports regarding COVID-19 pandemic handling and mitigation regulations. The essence that safety of everyone is so hinged in a universal manner raises the necessity of neighbor-keeping in the process of fighting the pandemic. The homeless population suffers from co-occurring disorders that further increase their vulnerability to the virus, as also opined by Hamada and Fan (2020). Therefore, the need for holistic handling of their situation is evident, assessment of which aligns with this proposal’s goals. In a rare phase, the biting pandemic situation offers opportunity for positive change for the homeless population as they can reap the advantage of additional treatments in the process of sheltering on the long-term basis.  The longevity of the goals, by assessment, enables general long-term benefits of both the city and the homeless as sobriety is calculated to be regained.

            Google is the search engine that was used to locate and evaluate the RFP, being the most effective and most popular search engine. Further, Google’s information availability enhanced preference for use. The Internet has a plethora of information, hence enabling such engagements as this with UNITY.

            The Louisiana Housing Corporation has been selected for funding. This agency offers funding to help residents of Louisiana meet their housing needs.  Therefore, eligible individuals are Louisiana residents. The number of grants offered is not limited as it depends on the applications needed and those who meet the assessment criteria set out by the agency.  Since the agency offers housing solutions, they can be in cash or through institutional support.  As such, there is no fixed dollar amount.  Similarly, the grant period has no length but is issued annually based on the state budget allocated towards social programs. Therefore, it is imperative to make an application as early as possible within the nation’s financial year. The funder is suitable for my project because it focuses on helping the Louisiana people with homelessness issues. Therefore, the Louisiana housing corporation will be handy in offering both financial and personal help during my project implementation phase. Additionally, their ability to fund the whole project and ensure that it meets all the statutory standards makes them ideal funding partners (https://www.lhc.la.gov/homelessness-solutions)

            UNITY’s RFP was selected based on its pertinence to the immediate need of the homeless, as well as the organization’s long-term proven commitment to mitigate the homeless condition. This specific RFP has been selected for its calculated immediate impact and potential long-term presence in the community.

Abstract

This project proposes to set up a 100-unit homeless shelter in New Orleans, fully equipped with rehabilitation center for substance use and abuse. The significance of this project is in its holistic approach, providing long-term solution to homelessness through counselling and rehabilitation. This project is intended to repair broken breaches in the lives of the homeless individuals by focusing on the root as well as the fruits in the process. The massive progress New Orleans has made towards dealing with homelessness since the deep effectual of Hurricane Katrine have been brought to a stalling test with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. The city has been housing homeless people in the intra-pandemic period, but the insufficiency of shelters has led to more than 200 individuals living in tents in expressways (Webster, 2020). It was reported that housing around 200 people homeless people in New Orleans, many struggling with substance abuse disorders and mental illness, in hotel rooms has proved to be a huge challenge. Efforts to provide safety and stability amidst the pandemic have been further frustrated by the increasingly universalized protests, which are ongoing and greatly monolithic in the aspect of housing. The health difficulties posed to the already existing challenges of the homeless heighten the need for homeless shelters, as the city is being overwhelmed by the swelling numbers – especially influenced by the residents who are being evicted from rental houses by landlords due to inability to pay rents. This project comes in handy in the bid to aid the City Authority’s efforts to help the homeless. The project, therefore, is timely for execution and effective in implementation having considered the pertinent economics holistically, with its suggested befitting funding. Funding of this project will go a long way in rippling effects of impacting the New Orleans community. A closer look at the current homeless service facilities reveal that they are more weather-focused and geared towards provision of cheaper homes, an inclination whose perfection is short of consideration of the vast effects of homelessness. In this proposal, the holistic view offers the best solution to the current situation as one-way trajectory is sought to ensure homeless individuals’ lives are bettered fully.