Washington, D.C. -- Fifty-one public and private nonprofit groups will receive awards from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), under its Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, to develop new programs to assist homeless veterans.
"VA is taking another great step today to break the cycle of homelessness among America's veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D. West Jr. "Veterans who find themselves homeless in America will have a variety of transitional houses and other assistance available as a result of the new programs we fund today."
Awardees from 26 states and the District of Columbia will receive grants totaling approximately $15 million. The grants, ranging from $25,000 to nearly $1.5 million, will provide up to 65 percent of the cost of acquiring or renovating facilities that will be used for housing or service centers. Nearly 100 organizations applied for this year's VA grants.
Noting there are currently more than 800 veterans who sleep each night in beds already funded under this program, Secretary West said that approximately 4,000 community-based beds will be available when these projects and previously funded projects are completed.
With this new round of grants, VA has assisted 178 public and private nonprofit grant recipients in 42 states and the District of Columbia, with new recipients in three more states (Arkansas, Hawaii, and Mississippi ). VA has awarded more than $41 million in grants since the program began in 1994.
VA, which has directed more than $100 million to its specialized homeless assistance programs in fiscal year 1999, is the only federal agency providing substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless persons. In addition to the grant and per diem program, the Department administers specialized homeless assistance programs,including health care, rehabilitation, outreach and counseling programs for homeless veterans.
Information on the program is available on VA's home page, which can be reached through the Internet at http://www.va.gov/health/homeless/index.htm.
