WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced that for the first time in its history the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing grants to organizations that care for homeless veterans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“Just three years ago, VA supported 43 homeless programs that provided about 1,250 transitional housing beds in just 24 states,” said Principi. “Today, we are providing grants to every state and the District of Columbia, supporting 8,200 beds operated by more than 250 programs. This historic achievement is a direct result of President Bush’s determination to end chronic homelessness in America.”
In the past nine years, VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program has awarded more than 300 grants totaling about $75 million to public and nonprofit groups to establish transitional housing and service centers and to purchase vans for transportation to services and employment for homeless veterans. VA expects to provide grants supporting 10,000 transitional housing beds by 2006.
More information about VA’s homeless assistance programs can be found at http://www.va.gov/homeless on the Internet.
