Carbon County wants to help additional families facing homelessness.

The commissioners are working with the Carbon County Action Committee for Human Services to administer a $40,000 Pennsylvania Emergency Solutions Grant.The grant is for temporary expansion of the existing emergency housing services through the Rapid Rehousing and Homeless Prevention Assistance program.The county signed an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to obtain the grant, which also requires a local match of $42,230, which will be provided by the action committee.The $82,230 will be used between Jan. 14, 2016, and July 14, 2017, to provide homeless prevention and rapid rehousing services in the county.Commissioner William O'Gurek said that the grant is not meant to be a long-term solution for families, but one to help those at risk of becoming homeless get or keep a roof over their heads."It will be for things like security deposits, utility deposits and rental arrearage," he said. "Families will need to show they can sustain housing."Families participating in the programs must complete monthly case management visits.The Rapid Rehousing program will target four groups:• Homeless families with children who are staying in the Family Promise shelters and either qualify for public or section 8 housing via a "homeless priority" or will have adequate income/resources to afford future rent and household expenses.• Homeless families fleeing from domestic violence that have adequate resources or future affordability.• Homeless disabled veterans or other homeless disabled people and families that possess adequate resources or future affordability.• Individuals or families referred by the Carbon County Housing Authority as anticipated to qualify for public housing or section 8 housing in the near future.The Homeless Prevention assistance will be in the form of security deposits, utility deposits and payments, and rental arrears.The program targets:• Families with children who can demonstrate affordability now or within the next 90 days.• Eligible disabled veterans or other disabled people or families who have affordability now or within the next 90 days.• Families fleeing domestic violence who have affordability now or within the next 90 days.• Disabled or nondisabled people or families qualifying for public housing or section 8 assistance.To be eligible, the annual household income of the family must be below 30 percent of the area median income guidelines.Carbon County applied for this grant last July.During a public hearing, Kim Miller, director of the Carbon County Action Committee for Human Services, said that the $40,000 grant will be able to help a number of families who are homeless, or at risk of being homeless.It has been hard to determine just how many people are homeless in Carbon County because the action committee has found that many are either staying in abandoned buildings or moving from friend's couch to friend's couch.This is the first time the county action committee received this grant.