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BURLINGTON — A $1 million grant will help three Alamance County agencies provide assistance to people who are homeless, or in danger of losing their homes.

United Way of Alamance County announced this week that it had received the grant from the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing program, which is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The grant is part of $1.5 billion Congress awarded to organizations across the country to target homelessness.

Families helped through the grant can receive assistance with their rent and utilities for three to 18 months, said Cindy Brady, president of the United Way of Alamance County. The money also can be used to pay for hotel vouchers and moving expenses. It cannot be used for mortgage assistance.

Brady said the number of county residents who need this type of assistance has escalated during the past year.

“We were not able to meet the need with our current pots of money,” she said.

Officials in Alamance County say homelessness is a growing problem. There has been a 660 percent increase in foreclosures since 1993, according to information contained in a United Way press release, and more than 500 homes have been foreclosed since January. There were about 150 children in the Alamance-Burlington school system who were homeless last year.

United Way applied for and received the grant, but it will partner with two county agencies — Alamance County Community Services and Burlington Development Corp. — to disburse the money to needy families.

Tony Roper, director of Alamance County Community Services, said the money will allow the agency to continue programs it already has in place, such as emergency rental assistance and housing counseling. He said the agency will likely have to hire a case manager to administer the program.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com