Tuesday, March 11, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Like most directors of agencies seeking federal grants, Ron Moore put in his applications and hoped for the best.
From the city of Las Vegas this year, his Nevada Homes for Youth program got about the best he could expect -- $160,000 from the Housing and Urban Development home grant program and $70,000 from the Community Development Block Grant capital projects funds.
"It was a very good year for us," said Moore, who, in addition to the $230,000 from the city, got $194,000 from Clark County's distribution of CDBG money.
His organization provides group homes for troubled juveniles and, when they turn 18, helps them with transitional housing.
Moore credited his federal grant success this year to the city's decision to appoint a committee which sent representatives to every site to see first-hand who was doing the best work.
"This is the first time a representative from the city came out (for the federal grant programs) to look at what we do," said Moore, who since 1991 has operated his group homes in neighborhoods throughout the Las Vegas Valley and has received praise from numerous sources including juvenile court judges.
"We weren't nervous because the county had been out in the past (for the CDBG program) to see our work, so we had an idea what they would be looking for. But it's always good to have more people see what is being done."
Moore will use the capital projects money to acquire and rehabilitate a single family dwelling to provide transitional housing for at-risk youths between 16 and 21. The funds also will initiate and operate a comprehensive transitional living residential program for at-risk youths who might otherwise wind up homeless.
Moore will use the home grant money to acquire and rehab a four-plex apartment building to provide permanent affordable rents to young adult graduates of the organization's transitional housing program.
Moore noted that this was Nevada Home for Youth's third year of applying for CDBG money, with this being the first year his group has received anything this significant.
Although Moore was successful in obtaining large sums of federal money, he also had to deal with rejection. His request for $20,000 of the city's CDBG public service money -- the most hotly contested category -- was denied.
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