Nearly $7 million in federal stimulus funds will be headed to Rhode Island later this year to combat homelessness in a new way.

The goal is to prevent people from becoming homeless, instead of helping them after they’ve already lost their homes. Another aim is to ensure that those who do become homeless don’t wind up in another housing crisis once they get a roof over their heads again.

“This is brand new,” said Noreen Shawcross, chief of the state Office of Housing and Community Development. “We know that it is certainly better to intervene before a family becomes homeless than to try and help them get their lives back on track after they become homeless. We’ve never had the resources to do this. It’s a proactive approach.”

Also, she said, working with clients “until their lives are stabilized, that’s something that’s new for us.”

The aid will come in the form of rental assistance for up to 18 months, security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving expenses and hotel vouchers. Payments would go directly to landlords, utilities and other third parties, not to the households under duress.

The money will be targeted at three eligible urban communities — Providence ($2.3 million), Pawtucket ($845,934) and Woonsocket ($545,000) — but will also be distributed across Rhode Island, with $3.28 million to be overseen by Shawcross’ office.

“We expect agencies on Aquidneck Island and in South County will be applying for funds to help residents in their area,” she said.

Shawcross credited Sen. Jack Reed with the new approach, saying it is at the heart of federal legislation he authored, the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, which was an amendment to the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. Funding for the nearly $3-billion program was included in President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“While strides have been made to reduce homelessness over the last couple of years, the current economic decline has halted such progress. We have already seen tent cities forming, shelters turning away people in need, and most major cities reporting double-digit increases in the number of families experiencing homelessness,” Reed said in a statement.

The nearly $7 million for Rhode Island will provide “local communities with greater flexibility to spend the money on programs that work ... These federal dollars will help local communities assist families on the brink of becoming homeless. It is a wise investment of federal resources that will save taxpayers money in the long run.”

Shawcross said the program will be overseen by the state and municipal agencies that have been annually receiving federal grants for emergency shelter programs. Representatives from the municipalities’ planning and development offices have joined with the state in a coordinated effort to distribute the money to social-service providers. Shawcross said the agencies have agreed to issue a joint request for proposals for community-based agencies to devise and propose programs to administer the money.

Shawcross said that while the money is welcome, it is still outweighed by the demand for it and must be carefully spent.

“Obviously, we have thousands of Rhode Islanders in need and limited dollars. Our challenge is to identify those most in need,” she said. “We also have to identify people who, with help in a crisis, can then move on. We will be building into this program some things to help them do that,” such as financial counseling and employment and training programs.

Shawcross said the money “should be flowing by October.”

rsalit@projo.com