Norwich - City officials got a rare chance to add grant money to some local recipients of the federal Community Development Block Grant this week, as the city received $123,141 more than the initial estimate that had been reduced by the federal sequester budget cuts.

The city will receive $801,926 in the coming federal fiscal year for grants that cover a range of programs, from housing rehabilitation to public construction projects and human services. The City Council approved grants for 11 different programs, including the community development administrative office, Monday.

By approving the grant awards, the council gave its support to a dramatic change in the city's effort to combat homelessness. The Community Care Team, a collaborative of several human services agencies, proposed eliminating the annual winter overnight homeless shelter at Buckingham Memorial.

Instead, the team will use the $30,000 CDBG grant to launch a "rapid re-housing" effort that will focus on finding more permanent housing for homeless clients. The program is based on two mandates by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - which funds the CDBG program - to reduce the number of people entering homeless shelters and reduce the length of stay to fewer than 30 days per person, said Lee Ann Gomes, Norwich social work supervisor and Community Care Team member.

With the additional money in the CDBG grant, the council restored funding to two programs initially left out of grant funding. The Norwich Public Schools' Bridges after-school program will receive $50,000 to cut down the waiting list for students wishing to enroll.

Bridges program coordinator Ross Anderson said 400 students are enrolled in the popular after-school program now, but the program has a waiting list of about 75 additional students. The $50,000 CDBG grant will allow the program to enroll more than 450 students, Anderson said.

The Norwich Housing Authority will receive $50,000 to continue the roof replacement project at the John F. Kennedy public housing complex. The housing authority had requested $90,000 for the project.

Most of the remainder of the grant increase, $24,629, was allocated to the community development office to administer the grant program.

c.bessette@theday.com