Connecticut recently received a $6.6 million federal grant to create new housing and support service programs to serve youth experiencing homelessness.

The award comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program. Connecticut was one of 10 communities in the country selected by HUD to receive this award out of over 130 applicants. The state received the largest allocation of any grantee under this program, according to a statement from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

“Being chosen for the HUD Youth Homelessness Demonstration will greatly accelerate our ability to meet our goal of preventing and ending homelessness among youth in Connecticut by the end of 2020,” Alicia Woodsby, executive director of the Partnership for Strong Communities, said in a statement. “It’s a testament to our statewide approach, strong team of partners and years of coordination and collaboration that have laid the groundwork for creating a coordinated community response system for runaway and unaccompanied youth.”