Department Marks 20 Years Serving Homeless Veterans
WASHINGTON – As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) marks the 20th anniversary of its homeless program, VA has awarded 46 grants worth over $16 million to public and private non-profit groups to assist homeless veterans.
“For the last 20 years, VA has worked with its community partners to lift veterans out of homelessness,” said Gordon H. Mansfield, Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “We are making progress by expanding treatment, rehabilitation and safe transitional housing for our homeless veterans, though more remains to be done.”
Based on VA’s national estimates, progress is being made for homeless veterans. The number of homeless veterans on any night has decreased 20 percent during the last six years, and veterans as a percent of the adult homeless population has decreased 10 percent.
This latest round of grants creates 950 beds for homeless veterans, bringing to more than 12,000 the number of VA-funded community-based beds provided by public and community non-profit and faith-based organizations in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country. It is the only federal agency providing substantial one-on-one contact with the homeless. In many cities and rural areas, VA social workers and other clinicians conduct extensive outreach programs, clinical assessments, medical treatment, alcohol and drug abuse counseling and employment assistance.
More information about VA’s homeless programs is available on the Internet at http://www.va.gov/homeless.
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Attached is a list of Homeless Grants for 2007
State
City
Recipient
Amount
Ariz.
Tucson
Old Pueblo Community Foundation
$202,130
Tucson
Esperanza En Escalante
21,430
Calif.
Bell
The Salvation Army, a California Corporation
500,000
Oakland
Volunteers of AmericaBay Area
586,857
Oceanside
NorthCounty Interfaith Council
1,120,000
Fla.
New Port Richey
Steps to Recovery, Inc.
143,975
Pensacola
Volunteers of America of Florida
736,848
Punta Gorda
Volunteers of America of Florida
666,848
St. Petersburg
The House of Hope
1,575,470
Iowa
Ottumwa
Ottumwa Community Outreach Ministry, Inc.
195,000
Ill.
Chicago
Volunteers of America of Illinois, Inc.
1,000,000
Chicago
Featherfist
416,250
Hebron
Transitional Living Services
18,320
Ind.
Indianapolis
HVAF of Indiana, Inc.
822,250
Kan.
Kansas City
The Salvation Army, an Illinois Corporation
14,949
La.
Hammond
Quad Area Community Action Agency, Inc.
591,500
Houma
Start Corporation
424,033
New Orleans
Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans, Inc.
291,850
Opelousas
Lafayette Catholic Service Centers, Inc.
56,430
Mass.
New Bedford
Southeastern Massachusetts Veterans Housing Program, Inc.
19,039
Worcester
Massachusetts Veterans, Inc.
552,500
Worchester
Massachusetts Veterans Inc.
455,000
Mich.
Ann Arbor
Michigan Ability Partners
201,501
Lansing
Volunteers of America of Michigan, Inc.
259,265
Miss.
Hattiesburg
Region XII Commission on Mental Health & Retardation
12,119
N.C.
Asheville
Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, Inc.
1,600,000
Dallas
Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas
51,669
N.J.
Jersey City
The Doe Fund, Inc.
526,500
Winslow
New Jersey Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
