WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made 80 new awards to public and private nonprofit organizations to support their efforts to assist homeless veterans.
"VA continues to play -- and mustplay -- a key role in providing health care to homeless veterans, through its own facilities and programs and through partnerships with community-based providers," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.
Currently, an estimated 6,000 veterans sleep each night in beds already funded under VA's Homeless Providers Grants and Per Diem Program. Over 1,580 community-based beds, provided by public and private nonprofit organizations in 29 states and the District of Columbia, will be available with this new round of per diem awards.
"These are the men and women who served our nation during its greatest times of need and who now live without shelter or food or medical care," Principi added. "They are our country's forgotten heroes, who have every right to live the American dream."
While there is no definite measure of the number of homeless veterans, it has been estimated that approximately 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night and twice as many veterans experience homelessness over the course of a year. It is estimated that one-third of the adult homeless male population and nearly one-quarter of all homeless adults have served in the armed forces.
"We want to take the lead in providing health care and benefits for homeless veterans," said Pete Dougherty, who serves as VA’s homeless coordinator. "Throughout my travels I have seen firsthand programs that are helping in a meaningful way to reconstruct veterans' lives and reunite families. It takes a network of partnerships to provide a full range of services."
To combat veterans' homelessness, VA initiated the Grants and Per Diem Program in 1994, and since then has provided more than $171 million in grants and per diem payments. More than 180 organizations applied this year for VA's per diem funding.
VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country and is the only federal agency that provides 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.
Bakersfield -- California Veterans Assistance Foundation Berkeley -- Operation Dignity, Inc. Los Angeles -- PATH Los Angeles -- PATH Menlo Park -- Homeless Veterans Emergency Housing Facility North Hollywood -- LA Family Housing Corporation Petaluma -- Vietnam Veterans of California, Inc. San Francisco -- Community Awareness & Treatment Services, Inc. Santa Monica -- Salvation Army South Lake Tahoe -- SierraRecoveryCenter
Colorado:
Denver -- Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
District of Columbia:
Washington -- Diane's House Ministries
Florida
Gainesville -- Volunteers of America of Florida, Inc. Kissimmee -- Transition House, Inc. Lake Worth & West Palm Beach -- Faith Hope Love Charity, Inc. Melbourne -- Vietnam Veterans of Brevard, Inc. St. Petersburg -- Society of St. Vincent de Paul South Pinellas, Inc.
Georgia
Atlanta -- United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. Atlanta -- Transition House, Inc. Atlanta -- Salvation Army, A Georgia Corporation Decatur -- Institute for Multicultural Rehabilitation, Inc.
Iowa
Clinton -- Victory Center Ministries, Inc Des Moines --Churches United, Inc. Des Moines --YMCA of Greater Des Moines
Illinois
Bloomington -- Home Sweet Home Ministries, Inc. Chicago -- Community Supportive Living Systems Chicago -- Northwestern MemorialHospital Chicago – Featherfist Hines -- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago Homewood -- South Suburban PADS Peoria -- South Side Office of Concern
Indiana:
Indianapolis -- Partners in Housing Development Corporation
Kansas:
Leavenworth -- Dwight D. Eisenhower Reveille Homes, Inc.
Louisiana:
New Orleans -- Resources for Human Development, Inc
Massachusetts:
New Bedford -- Southeastern Massachusetts Veterans Housing Program
Maryland:
Baltimore -- MarylandCenter for Veterans Education and Training, Inc Baltimore -- South Baltimore Homeless Shelter, Inc. Baltimore -- Project Plase, Inc.
Michigan:
Ann Arbor -- Salvation Army of WashtenawCounty
Minnesota:
Minneapolis & Columbia Heights -- Salvation Army Northern Division
Mississippi
Hattiesburg -- Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources
Montana:
Kalispell -- Samaritan House, Inc. Missoula -- Poverello Center, Inc.
Nevada:
Reno -- SierraRecoveryCenter
North Carolina:
Asheville -- Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, Inc Salisbury -- LoveCenter for Community Enhancement
Albuquerque -- Albuquerque Mental Health Housing Coalition, Inc. Albuquerque -- New Mexico Department of Veteran's Services Las Vegas -- Samaritan House, Inc.
New York:
Albany -- Albany Housing Coalition, Inc. Bronx -- New Era Veterans, Inc. Chester -- Volunteers of America, Greater New York, Inc. Hawthorne -- Volunteers of America, Greater New York, Inc. Liverpool -- Altamont Program, Inc
Ohio:
Cincinnati -- Joseph House, Inc. Cincinnati -- HamiltonCountyJob and Family Services Cleveland --YMCA of Greater Cleveland
Oregon:
Ashland & Medford -- Interfaith Care Community of JacksonCounty Corvallis -- Community Outreach, Inc. Medford -- Salvation Army, A California Corporation Portland -- Central City Concern
Pennsylvania:
Bethlehem -- Victory House of LehighValley Coatesville -- Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center Cowansville -- MechlingShakleyVeteransCenter Lebanon -- Willow Square II, Inc. Philadelphia -- Impact Services Corporation Reading -- YMCA of Reading and BerksCounty Scranton -- Catholic Social Services Diocese of Scranton, Inc.
South Carolina:
Charleston -- Crisis Ministries Charleston -- Chesapeake Health Education Program, Inc. JamesIsland -- Carolina Homeless Veterans, Inc.
South Dakaota:
Rapid City -- Cornerstone Rescue Mission
Tennessee:
Nashville -- Campus for Human Development
Texas:
Dallas -- Salvation Army, A Georgia Corporation Fort Worth -- Presbyterian Night Shelter of TarrantCounty Houston -- Salvation Army, A Georgia Corporation
Utah:
Ogden -- Homeless Veterans Fellowship Salt Lake City -- First Step House, Inc. Salt LakeCity -- Catholic Community Services of Utah
