WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi today announced new rules to improve services to homeless veterans.
"This is another example of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) efforts to eliminate homelessness and improve services that address the needs of homeless veterans," said Secretary Principi. “These new provisions will allow VA to increase its funding to homeless service providers across the nation.”
Today’s announcement of new regulations will allow VA to provide additional funding to veterans in transitional housing and those hard-to-serve homeless veterans such as frail elderly, seriously mentally ill, terminally ill and women veterans.
In addition, VA will now have the ability to offer technical assistance to service providers in obtaining grants. VA will also target funding to locations that need services and provide funding to improve deficient fire and safety issues at a variety of sites that provide transitional housing.
Currently, VA has approximately 5,000 beds available for homeless veterans. These new rules will allow VA to expand opportunities to serve the most vulnerable veterans. It also allows VA to work in a more collaborative effort with other federal agencies to address homelessness.
VA's homeless programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country, offering a wide array of services and initiatives to help veterans recover from homelessness and live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible.
