HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today HUD will provide $46.2 million to public housing agencies in all 50 states and D.C. to supply permanent housing and case management for 6,790 homeless veterans in the U.S.
The funding comes from the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program and is part of Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The initiative is directly related to the Obama administration’s commitment to end veteran and long-term chronic homelessness by 2015.
“We have no greater mission than to prevent and end homelessness, especially for those brave men and women who risked their lives to protect our nation,†Donovan said.
Homeless veterans are referred to public agencies for vouchers that are based on a variety of factors, with the most important being the need for and willingness to participate in case management.
“These vouchers will provide critical support to thousands of veterans whose needs were unmet for too long, so that they will finally get the services they need and a permanent place to call home,†said Sen. Patty Murray, chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico.
