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First Posted: 6/3/2013 WILKES-BARRE &#8212; An area nonprofit organization hopes to obtain grant money with the help of Luzerne County to aid the rising number of homeless and battered women in the area.
The county Office of Community Development plans to submit an application for a grant of $50,000 or more to aid the Domestic Violence Service Center in Wilkes-Barre. The grant is applied for through the state Department of Community and Economic Development&#8217;s 2013 Emergency Solutions Grant Program.
&#8220;We were asked by the Domestic Violence Service Center to apply on their behalf,&#8221; county Office of Community Development Executive Director Andy Reilly said.
The program allows the county or municipalities to approach local nonprofit organizations about their interest in participating, Reilly said.
The county has helped nonprofits, including assisting Ruth&#8217;s Place homeless shelter, in this capacity for several years, he said.
The Emergency Solutions Grant Program addresses the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters to assist them in quickly regaining stability in permanent housing, according to the county&#8217;s website.
The grant-seeking process is in its beginning stages; a public meeting on the matter will be held Friday at the Luzerne County Courthouse. The meeting seeks input and discussion on the proposed grant project.
Domestic Violence Service Center Executive Director Paula Triano said the grant money will be used to support the service center&#8217;s residential programs and operating costs in terms of essential services and case management related to emergency shelter and transitional housing.
&#8220;We are still in the process of figuring it out, but I hope we get awarded something,&#8221; said Triano, noting the need for transitional housing for the homeless has been increasing annually.
Each year the service center helps more women and children, Triano said. Last year, the center aided about 2,000 women and children. This year, it will likely assist 2,200.
&#8220;We help (women and children) stabilize quickly so they can find permanent housing,&#8221; Triano said. &#8220;We want to decrease the length of homelessness so there is less of a chance of repeating the cycle of being homeless again.&#8221;

County to seek $50k for violence shelter