MHA Times

Chairman Fox's Weekly Projects Update

NEWS RELEASE  |  February 3, 2022

ND announces $1.5 million in new grants to expand temporary shelter care for youth

Entities invited to apply for funds to assist sites to meet certification requirements

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Human Services announced $1.5 million in new grant funds to expand temporary shelter care services for children and youth in North Dakota.

The need for these services has grown. In 2021, over 500 children used shelter beds in the state.

“Our goal is to make sure we have safe places available for children and teens when families are in crisis,” said Cory Pedersen, director of the department’s Children and Family Services Division.  “Having more temporary shelter care capacity, provides a safe place for children to go while we put needed support services in place for at-risk children and families.”

The department invites current and prospective shelter care service providers to apply for grant funds to establish a shelter care program or enhance existing services and facilities to meet certification requirements. Nonprofit and for-profit entities and tribal nations in North Dakota are invited to apply for grants of up to $150,000 per site. The department expects to award funding to 10 sites in 2022.

For details about the grant, visit the division’s webpage. To apply, review and complete the grant invitation and application at https://bit.ly/3IXgJ0R.

Interested entities are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Once funds have been expended, the program will close.

Funding can be used for start-up costs, such as initial operating costs, construction, remodeling, payroll, training, staffing ratios and related costs associated with meeting certification standards.

Shelter care is intended to provide a temporary safe bed for up to one week. The combination of temporary shelter care and family support services will make it possible, Pedersen said, to support child safety, reunite families and children more quickly and prevent children from entering foster care.

Currently, similar services are provided by Youthworks in Bismack, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot; Sunrise Youth Bureau in Dickinson; and the Youth Assessment Center in Williston.

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