Housing Program for Homeless Vets

NEW YORK U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James B. Peake and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Roy A. Bernardi announced $75 million to provide permanent supportive housing for an estimated 10,000 homeless veterans nationwide. New York City will receive approximately $9.4 million to permanently house more than 1,000 homeless veterans. Their program will be administered by the New York City Housing Authority and the Department of Homeless Services. "We are deeply grateful for the service and sacrifice by our nation's veterans and we must make every effort to help them as they struggle to avoid a life on the streets," said Bernardi. HUD's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) will provide local public housing agencies with approximately 10,000 rental assistance vouchers specifically targeted to assist homeless veterans in their area. In addition, the VA and HUD will link local public housing agencies with VA Medical Centers to provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans. HUD will allocate the housing vouchers to local public housing agencies (PHAs) across the country that are specifically targeted to homeless veterans based on a variety of factors, including the number of reported homeless veterans and the proximity of a local VA Medical Center with the capacity to provide case management. New York City and the greater Los Angeles area received the greatest number of vouchers using this criterion. HUD will provide housing assistance through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program which allows participants to rent privately owned housing. The VA will offer eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S and Puerto Rico. Last year, the VA provided health care to more than 100,000 homeless veterans and other services to over 60,000 veterans in its specialized homeless programs. The Bush Administration's proposed FY 2009 Budget seeks to double the amount of funding to provide an additional $75 million to support the housing and service needs of an additional 10,000 homeless veterans across America. Local communities or "Continuums of Care" that receive HUD homeless assistance will work with local VA Medical Centers to identify eligible participants. The VA will then screen homeless veterans to determine their eligibility. Those eligible vets will receive treatment and regular case management to retain the voucher. VA Medical Center case managers will also work closely with local housing agencies to help participants find suitable housing. Participating PHAs will also determine income eligibility in accordance to HUD regulations for the HCV program. New York City's Department of Homeless Services will use the 1,000 vouchers, supplemental veterans treatment and case management services to help achieve permanent and sustained housing status for all homeless veterans. In December 2006, the VA and the City of New York reached an historic agreement to address ending veteran homelessness in New York City. Under the agreement, the City vowed to place 100 veterans into permanent housing in 100 days, surpassing the goal with 135 veterans moving during that period, and subsequently succeeded in placing more than 400 veterans into homes of their own in 2007. The VA and the City also convened a joint Task Force that created a strategic plan to end veteran homelessness in New York City. Among the Task Force recommendations were the creation of a jointly operated VA/NYC multi-service center to serve as a one-stop site to access services for homeless veterans, scheduled to open in the Summer of 2008; the creation of a veteran-only SAFE HAVEN as an alternative to the shelter system to open in the Summer/Fall 2008 and veteran-specific, short-term housing site for those working towards permanent housing.