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HomeNewsHUD to help nearly 1,300 Homeless Veterans find Permanent Homes

HUD to help nearly 1,300 Homeless Veterans find Permanent Homes

Additional $7.5 million allows HUD to help total of 9,000 homeless vets

Washington, DC – U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today $7.5 million in additional funding to allow local housing agencies to provide a permanent home for 1,255 homeless veterans. The funding is provided through a second round of grants under HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) program.

Working closely with local Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers, local public housing agencies will target these grants specifically to homeless veterans in their area. Earlier this month, HUD announced $58.6 million in HUD-VASH grants to provide 7,500 vouchers for homeless veterans. For a local breakdown of the vouchers announced today, visit HUD’s website.

“These grants are providing real hope to our homeless veterans who might otherwise be forced to live on our streets,” said Donovan. “With this additional funding, we’ll be able to put a total of nearly 9,000 new vouchers in local communities across the country to help those who served and sacrificed so much for us.”

“This program provides critical assistance to those who have worn our nation’s military uniforms and are in need of a home,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “VA and HUD will continue to work in partnership to end homelessness among veterans.”

The grants announced today are part of a $75 million investment to support the needs of homeless veterans. On June 3rd, 2010, HUD announced the first round of funding – $58.6 million that supported nearly 8,000 vouchers. The remaining funds will be awarded to housing agencies later this summer. Local public housing agencies that administer HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV) work closely with VA Medical Centers to manage the program. In addition to the rental assistance, VAMCs provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans.

HUD allocates the these housing vouchers to local public housing agencies, which will target them to homeless veterans based on a variety of factors, including the number of reported homeless veterans and the proximity of a local VA Medical Centers with the capacity to provide case management. These medical centers identify eligible participants and provide case management. VA case managers will also work directly with local housing agencies that are administering the HUD-VASH program to determine income eligibility and help participants find suitable housing.

Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S and Puerto Rico.

This is the third year HUD is supporting the housing and service needs of homeless veterans across America through HUD-VASH with a total investment of $225 million that will sustain approximately 30,000 rental assistance vouchers.

On Tuesday, June 22nd, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) – which includes HUD and VA – will release the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The HEARTH Act, signed into law by President Obama in May 2009 mandated that USICH present to Congress a “national strategic plan” to end homelessness. Beginning in January 2010, USICH held regional stakeholder meetings, organized federal working groups focused on specific populations, solicited public comment through an interactive website, and engaged experts from across the country to develop an action plan to solve homelessness for veterans, adults, families, youth, and children.

About the U.S. Housing and Urban Development

HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

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