U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge visited Savannah on Monday to announce $4.1 million in funding to benefit residents exiting homelessness in the community.  

In a press conference Tuesday morning, Secretary Fudge was joined by Mayor Van R. Johnson, II, City Manager Jay Melder, Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH) Executive Director Jennifer Dulong, HUD Region 4 Administrator Jennifer Collins, and impacted resident Reginald Chisholm. 

“We are so honored Secretary Fudge chose Savannah to make this presentation,” Mayor Johnson said. “She could have visited anywhere, but we were chosen because of our plan, our partnerships, and the work we are doing here. Savannah will continue to lead in addressing the housing needs of all Savannahians. We are grateful for the increase in funding and will put it to good use as we move forward with our action plan.”

The $4,104,782 Continuum of Care money, a federal initiative with the goal of ending homelessness, is applied for by CSAH, the lead agency for the Savannah Chatham Interagency Council on Homeless (ICH). This year’s approved funds saw an increase of $600,000 compared to last year, in part because of the work done to improve Savannah’s interagency functions. 

Over the last four years community partners collaborated on the transition to the ICH to create a more inclusive approach to addressing homelessness with broader participation resulting in a strong application for this year’s Continuum of Care funding. 

“Over the last several years, the City and our partners have made addressing homelessness in our community a priority,” City Manager Joseph “Jay” Melder said. “We are grateful to Secretary Fudge for her continued support of our efforts and for recognizing the great work being done on the ground here. Our conversations with the Secretary and the HUD team made clear that we are on the right track to our shared goal of ending homelessness.” 

Following the press conference, Secretary Fudge sat down in a closed roundtable with community stakeholders to talk about the work being done and what is planned for the road ahead. 

“I am happy to be here with you, but I am also happy to be in a community where there is a plan,” Secretary Fudge said during the press conference. “Where you know what you want to do. Too often, when we give resources to communities, they are still trying to figure out what to do with them. I am here because you all know what to do. You’re already doing a good job. I just want to help you do a better one.” 

Later in the day, Mayor Johnson and Secretary Fudge paid a visit to Mavis Jones, a resident on Pennsylvania Avenue who benefited from Savannah’s DreamMaker Home Purchase Assistance program. After, the Secretary visited the Tiny Homes at the Cove at Dundee, a first of its kind initiative that focused on housing veterans.