The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

With Help from the HPRP, More Families Are on the Path to Self Sufficiency

This year, Salvation Army Case Manager Marcia Reckinger is helping more Arlington area families with rental assistance thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $1.15 billion for homelessness prevention nationwide.

Locally, the HPRP program is preventing homelessness and rapidly returning homeless individuals and families to housing stability. In America’s communities, the homeless shelter is just one step away from life on the street.

At the Salvation Army Life Center on Abram Street, stimulus funding is helping a mother and her daughter who slept in their vehicle for about two months before applying for temporary rental assistance.

After receiving HPRP assistance, the family became eligible for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program administered by the Arlington Housing Authority. Today, that family is on the path to self-sufficiency.

From her office, Marcie Reckinger works one-on-one with sheltered clients in need rental assistance. She provides assistance with employment and childcare, and pairs clients with other county agencies who can assist them with transition.

With additional funds for the HPRP program, the waiting list for housing has been reduced by as much as 10 percent, she said.
“It makes me feel really good to know that we’re able to help those who need a step up,” Marcie said. “This program is significantly impacting Arlington families and it’s making a difference in many ways.”

The HPRP also helped a single mother of six avoid homelessness. With only a part-time job and the social security from a disabled child, the Arlington mother was at risk of losing housing when her rent money was stolen, according to the Arlington Housing Authority.

Family and friends were unable to assist, but the HPRP stepped in to provide one month of rental assistance. Today, her part-time nursing assistance job is full-time and the single mother is continuing her education to become a registered nurse.

The HPRP program is helping families pay security deposits, utility bills, moving expenses and rent checks to either avoid eviction or move from transitional housing into their own apartments.

Home Sweet Home
A three-bedroom home that sat vacant for nearly six months in a south Arlington neighborhood is now owned and occupied by a family of four thanks to federal stimulus money authorized by Congress and administered by the City. FULL STORY

	Safe, Attractive & Engaged Neighborhoods    Community Development Block Grants ($853,342) – Funding confirmed Byrne Justice Assistance Grants ($1,050,197) – Funding confirmed Neighborhood Stabilization Programs – Part 1 ($2,440,000) – Funding confirmed Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program ($6,107,248) – Funding Confirmed Combating Criminal Narcotics Activity Stemming from Southern Border of the United States ($1,138,984) – Funding confirmed
	Capital Investment   Federal Aid Highways ($1,964,000) – Funding confirmed Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant ($3,428,100) – Funding confirmed Arlington Energy Efficiency Action Plan
	Youth, Seniors & Families   Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program ($1,304,792) – Funding confirmed Weatherization Assistance Program ($2,046,650) – Funding confirmed Handitran ($600,000) – Funding confirmed