The District of Columbia [will begin distribution of $7.5 million in federal stimulus funds this week to provide housing to homeless and struggling low-income families](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/30/AR2009113003743.html), according to [a U.S. Housing and Urban Development press release](https://www.hud.gov/local/dc/news/pr2009-07-10.cfm).

The announcement comes as city officials [hope to strike a compromise with the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington]. If same-sex couples are granted benefits such as equal employment rights, Catholic Charities has threatened to sever ties with the government and discontinue services.

According to an article in The Washington Post, Clarence Carter, director of the District’s Department of Human Services, assured the council in October that budget cuts would not affect the operation of homeless shelters this winter, due in part to the work of Catholic Charities. After D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty cut 20 percent of this year’s budget originally allocated to support the D.C. homeless, a total of $12 million, CCAW had agreed to make up these funds.

The District is legally obligated to operate homeless shelters during hypothermia season, from Nov. 1 to March 1 of each year.

With the federal stimulus money, 680 to 800 families will receive either new homes or subsidies to pay back taxes and overdue utility bills, according to The Post. A family of three must have a combined income below $30,000 to qualify for the stimulus money.

The $7.5 million comes from a total of $1.5 billion authorized for a Homelessness Prevention Fund under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law on Feb. 17. The money intended to combat homelessness falls under the purview of the U.S. Department of Housing and Development.

According to a Nov. 30 D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development press release, the funds will be allocated by the D.C. Department of Human Services as follows: $2.4 million for housing for people who have lost their jobs and homes, $1.9 million for rental subsidies and $1 million for families in a danger of losing their homes. Other funds will be used to pay caseworkers and assist families in their search for homes. Families may receive up to $6,500 in housing assistance, and individuals may receive up to $5,000. “