WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jack Reed today announced nearly $500,000 worth of federal grants to benefit the homeless in Rhode Island, as well as to help clean up Narragansett Bay.
Reed, a member of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will award the R.I. Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals $300,000 through its Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness Program.
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“This money will help more Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness get access to the services and treatment they need,” said Reed in a statement.
In May 2007, Reed chaired a meeting of the committee that examined issues facing the mental health community as well as the reauthorization of SAMHSA. The agency provides services, grants and contracts to help support state and community efforts to prevent and treat substance abuse and mental health issues.
Earlier this year, Reed introduced the bipartisan Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2007 to provide more than $1.8 billion for targeted grant programs, increasing current levels of funding for homelessness assistance grants by $350 million and allocating $250 million in additional funding for homelessness prevention initiatives.
“I will continue to work with my colleagues to increase federal investment in helping America’s neediest citizens and ultimately move them from homelessness to independence and self-sufficiency,” said Reed.
At the same time, Reed announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was granting $170,000 to the state and Clean The Bay to help remove debris from Narragansett Bay’s shoreline.
“Marine debris is a major problem in Narragansett Bay. This type of pollution interferes with boating safety, harms coastal industries, kills marine mammals, and poses a threat to human health,” said Reed in a statement.
The funding will be used to involve and educate the public on marine debris issues and prevention. The R.I. Department of Environmental Management estimated there is about 530 tons of debris in the upper Bay.
“Narragansett Bay is an estuary of national significance and provides vital habitat to fish and wildlife. It should not be the dumping ground for marine debris,” said Reed.
