COEUR d'ALENE - St. Vincent de Paul in Coeur d'Alene received more than $300,000 to help take homeless people off the streets and put them into housing programs.

The nonprofit is earmarked to receive $92,180 for Angel Arms, which provides permanent housing for chronically homeless single individuals; $179,886 for Coeur d'Alene Transitional Housing, which provides up to two years of housing for homeless families; and $39,797 for KAMPS, which provides up to two years of transitional housing for homeless families.

The grant money, said Jeff Conroy, executive director of St. Vincent's in North Idaho, is "huge" in allowing St. Vincent's to maintain its programs for the homeless.

"It's a step in their independence," he said.

Idaho Housing and Finance Association received $2.54 million in Continuum of Care grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue providing housing and services for homeless people across Idaho.

Idaho's award is part of the $1.47 billion in homeless assistance HUD awarded nationally.

Last year over 132,000 bed nights were serviced to homeless individuals in Idaho through permanent and transitional housing.

Bonner County Homeless Task Force received $111,395 for Blue Haven, which provides up to two years transitional housing for homeless families; and $72,715 for Trestle Creek, which provides up to two years of transitional housing for homeless families and individuals.

"With this funding we help about 20 to 25 homeless families per year," said Tamie Martinsen, program manager at Bonner County Homeless Taskforce. "Our work is to help homeless families move forward in their lives, giving them support and taking them out of the immediate crisis of homelessness, so they can have a future."

Conroy said that last year St. Vincent's saw an 89 percent success rate of those in its housing programs. Along with a place to live, they also received job training, counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care.

The programs set people battling financial problems, mental illness or unemployment on the "right course," Conroy said.