VA Mission Homeless Program - Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL)

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Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL)

VA Mission Homeless Program

Background on Homelessness

Current population estimates suggest that about 154,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing. Almost all homeless veterans are male (about four percent are women), the vast majority are single, and most come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds. Homeless veterans tend to be older and more educated than homeless non-veterans. But similar to the general population of homeless adult males, about 45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and (with considerable overlap) slightly more than 70 percent suffer from alcohol or other drug abuse problems.

To address the needs of homeless veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as part of its Capital Asset Management Program, seeks to more effectively leverage its underutilized real property assets on VA medical and National Cemetery campuses under its Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) authority to build needed homeless housing facilities.

In December 4, 2006, the Secretary signed the site review initiative with the objective of conducting a comprehensive review and assessment of VA’s vast infrastructure and capital asset inventory to decrease the amount of underutilized real property and maximize its value through EUL. The EUL proceeds from the executed projects will be reinvested to enhance services provided to the Veterans. On May 5, 2008 the Secretary approved 49 sites for EUL development under this initiative. Projects were divided in two phases for implementation. OAEM already awarded four of the Phase I projects in FY 2009.

Phase I : Mission Homeless: 22 sites are actively pursuing the homeless component and 23 projects are on hold. On Hold projects are being evaluated for feasibility and need to proceed as a housing development or some other development within the long term care continuum such as assisted living.
Phase II : Site review Initiative: 15 sites are approved for a market driven project which may include a housing or long term care component. There is opportunity to develop multiple projects within each site.

VA Mission Homeless Projects
Alexandria, Louisiana	Asheville, North Carolina
Augusta, Georgia	Bonham, Texas
Cheyenne, Wyoming	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Hines, Illinois	Kansas City, Missouri
Kerrville, Texas	Lyons, New Jersey
Newington, Connecticut	Roseburg, Oregon
Togus, Maine	Tomah, WI

News and Updates:

Notice: Request for Proposals: issued on Monday, March 30, 2009 for Charlie Norwood VAMC – Uptown (Augusta, GA), Cheyenne VAMC (WY), Connecticut Health Care System – Newington Campus, Hines VA Hospital (Chicago, IL), Togus VAMC (Augusta, ME); Proposals due Friday, May 29, 2009.
Tuscaloosa, AL: The Public Hearing was held on March 3, 2009.
Tuskegee, AL: The Public Hearing was held on February, 23, 2009.
Notice: Request for Expressions of Interest requests were issued on February 2009 for Iron Mountain, MI; Expressions of interest were due on Friday, February 27, 2009.
Lyons, NJ: The Public Hearing was held on February 19, 2009.
Togus, ME: The Public Hearing was held on December 11, 2008.
Augusta, GA: The Public Hearing was held on December 8, 2008.
Hines, IL: The Public Hearing was held on December 4, 2008.
Newington, CT: The Public Hearing was held on December 2, 2008.
Cheyenne, WY: The Public Hearing was held on December 2, 2008.
Ashville, NC: The Public Hearing was held on November 24, 2008.
Notice: Request for Expressions of Interest requests were issued on July 25, 2008, for Asheville VAMC (NC), Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery (TX) and Hines VA Hospital (Chicago, IL); Expressions of interest were due on Friday, August 15, 2008.
Notice: Request for Expressions of Interest requests were issued on July 11, 2008, for Charlie Norwood VAMC – Uptown (Augusta, GA), Cheyenne VAMC (WY), Lyons VAMC (NJ – Somerset County), Connecticut Health Care System – Newington Campus, and Togus VAMC (ME); Expressions of interest were due on Friday, August 1, 2008.