The National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul last week awarded a $1,500 grant to help the needy in Dawsonville.

The money is part of the society’s annual Friends of the Poor grant program. It will provide several forms of assistance including housing, utility costs and help for the homeless.

Grant applications are reviewed and awarded annually on a regional basis.

Funding comes from the general public and the society’s 146,000 members around the country.

“The timing of the grant is very welcome,” said Jim Bohl, president of the society’s Christ Redeemer Conference in Dawsonville.

“People in the area have been struggling just like many others during the recession, so we were grateful for the additional support this grant will enable us to provide.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization of more than 690,000 volunteers.

For more information, visit www.svdpusa.org.