FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A Fort Wayne charity dedicated to helping homeless veterans with addictions will receive enough funding from the federal Veterans Administration to cover the cost of 20 beds at its facility.
The funding from the VA, reported Sunday by the Journal Gazette, is enough to cover about half of the Shepherd’s House’s usual occupancy. This comes a year after the House lost funding completely – then had it restored after local outcry – leading to WOWO choosing the charity as the recipients of the 2017 Penny Pitch fundraiser.
This round of grants will see the house receive up to $328,500 under a new formula the federal government uses to determine funding amounts. Before last year’s events, the House always received $500,000 a year, which is around 80% of their total budget.
House manager Tracy Barr told the paper private donations have picked up since last year and that the charity will continue fundraising efforts to make up for the lower award amount.
