Department Marks 20 Years Serving Homeless Veterans
WASHINGTON – As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) marks the 20th anniversary of its homeless program, VA has awarded 46 grants worth over $16 million to public and private non-profit groups to assist homeless veterans.
“For the last 20 years, VA has worked with its community partners to lift veterans out of homelessness,” said Gordon H. Mansfield, Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “We are making progress by expanding treatment, rehabilitation and safe transitional housing for our homeless veterans, though more remains to be done.”
Based on VA’s national estimates, progress is being made for homeless veterans. The number of homeless veterans on any night has decreased 20 percent during the last six years, and veterans as a percent of the adult homeless population has decreased 10 percent.
This latest round of grants creates 950 beds for homeless veterans, bringing to more than 12,000 the number of VA-funded community-based beds provided by public and community non-profit and faith-based organizations in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country. It is the only federal agency providing 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.
More information about VA’s homeless programs is available on the Internet at http://www.va.gov/homeless.
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Attached is a list of Homeless Grants for 2007
State | City | Recipient | Amount |
Ariz. | Tucson | Old Pueblo Community Foundation | $202,130 |
| Tucson | Esperanza En Escalante | 21,430 |
Calif. | Bell | The Salvation Army, a California Corporation | 500,000 |
| Oakland | Volunteers of America Bay Area | 586,857 |
| Oceanside | North County Interfaith Council | 1,120,000 |
Fla. | New Port Richey | Steps to Recovery, Inc. | 143,975 |
| Pensacola | Volunteers of America of Florida | 736,848 |
| Punta Gorda | Volunteers of America of Florida | 666,848 |
| St. Petersburg | The House of Hope | 1,575,470 |
Iowa | Ottumwa | Ottumwa Community Outreach Ministry, Inc. | 195,000 |
Ill. | Chicago | Volunteers of America of Illinois, Inc. | 1,000,000 |
| Chicago | Featherfist | 416,250 |
| Hebron | Transitional Living Services | 18,320 |
Ind. | Indianapolis | HVAF of Indiana, Inc. | 822,250 |
Kan. | Kansas City | The Salvation Army, an Illinois Corporation | 14,949 |
La. | Hammond | Quad Area Community Action Agency, Inc. | 591,500 |
| Houma | Start Corporation | 424,033 |
| New Orleans | Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans, Inc. | 291,850 |
| Opelousas | Lafayette Catholic Service Centers, Inc. | 56,430 |
Mass. | New Bedford | Southeastern Massachusetts Veterans Housing Program, Inc. | 19,039 |
| Worcester | Massachusetts Veterans, Inc. | 552,500 |
| Worchester | Massachusetts Veterans Inc. | 455,000 |
Mich. | Ann Arbor | Michigan Ability Partners | 201,501 |
| Lansing | Volunteers of America of Michigan, Inc. | 259,265 |
Miss. | Hattiesburg | Region XII Commission on Mental Health & Retardation | 12,119 |
N.C. | Asheville | Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, Inc. | 1,600,000 |
| Dallas | Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas | 51,669 |
N.J. | Jersey City | The Doe Fund, Inc. | 526,500 |
| Winslow | New Jersey Department of Military & Veterans Affairs | 500,000 |
N.M. | Gallup | Community Area Resource Enterprises (CARE 66) | 311,039 |
N.Y | Albany | Albany Housing Coalition | 11,700 |
| Yonkers | Westhab, Inc. | 400,000 |
Ohio | Cincinnati | Volunteers of America, Ohio River | 910,000 |
| Dayton | Spirit of Peace Community Development Corp | 115,000 |
Penn. | Coastesville | Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Services | 21,658 |
| Philadelphia | Fresh Start Foundation | 18,200 |
S.C. | Columbia | Lutheran Family Services | 130,897 |
| North Charleston | Volunteers of America of the Carolinas | 800,000 |
Tenn. | Lewisburg | Buffalo Valley | 67,210 |
| Memphis | Alpha Omega Veterans Services | 24,700 |
| Memphis | Cocaine & Alcohol Awareness Program | 17,728 |
| Nashville | Next Stages | 25,681 |
Wash. | Spokane | Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington | 12,720 |
Wisc. | King | Center for Veterans Issues | 15,431 |
| Milwaukee | Center for Veterans Issues | 18,781 |
| Union Grove | Center for Veterans Issues | 18,781 |
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
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