Secretary Shinseki Announces $17 Million in Homeless Grants

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced that 19 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will share more than $17 million in grants to community groups to create 1,155 beds for homeless Veterans this year.

“These grants will aid our efforts to eliminate homelessness among those who have served in uniform,” said Secretary Shinseki. “Our partnerships with community-based organizations provide safe, transitional housing while these Veterans leverage VA’s health care and other benefits to return to productive lives.”

A key tool in VA’s drive to eliminate homelessness among Veterans, the grants helped VA reduce the number of Veterans who are homeless on a typical night last year by 15 percent to about 131,000 Veterans.

In other programs, VA provides health care to 100,000 homeless Veterans, compensation and assistance in obtaining foreclosed homes and excess federal property, including clothes, footwear, blankets and other items.

That includes the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program operating from 132 sites to provide outreach, physical and psychiatric examinations and referrals for more than 40,000 Veterans annually, while 2,100 beds in VA domiciliaries provide treatment to more than 5,000 Veterans each year.

In addition, VA partners with volunteers and community organizations to serve tens of thousands of Veterans each year through “stand downs” offering Veterans who often are living lives in the shadows access to basic services and referrals.
VA works with a variety of federal agencies and Veterans organizations not only to mitigate and eliminate homelessness but toward a goal of preventing its occurrence in the first place.

VA’s goal is to have a “no wrong door” phenomena, meaning Veterans who seek assistance should find it either in VA internal programs, from community partners or through contract services.

In terms of dollars and number of Veterans served, VA has the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the nation. In fiscal year 2009, VA expected to spend $2.8 billion to provide health care and specialized homeless programs, with an anticipated $400 million increase in the budget for fiscal year 2010.

VA social workers and clinicians work with community and faith-based partners to conduct extensive outreach programs, clinical assessments, medical treatments, 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. The list of recipients is below.

Recipients of VA Grants for Homeless Veterans

State
City
Recipients
Amount
Program

Ariz.
Tucson
Esperanza En Escalante
$450,938
10 beds
I am proud to say that I was around in the beginning when Tucson established this very fine program. God Bless you Betty Slaybaugh and staff.

Calif.
Adelanto
Life Community Development
$227,240
12 beds, 1 van

Los Angeles
Volunteers of America
$506,108
48 beds

Colo.
Aurora
Aurora Compre-hensive Community Mental Health
$46,706
15 beds

Denver
Bo Mathews Center for Excellence
$362,798
16 beds, 1 van

Denver
Volunteers of America
$72,327
8 beds

Conn.
New London
New London Homeless Hospitality Center
$130,627
8 beds

D.C.
Washington
US Veterans Initiative
$942,500
85 beds

Fla.
Orlando
Center for Drug Free Living
$1,049,257
28 beds, 1 van

St. Cloud
Transition House
$275,925
4 beds

St. Petersburg
Boley Centers
$94,015
13 beds

Tamp
Tampa Crossroads
$500,370
16 beds, 1 van

Ga.
Augusta
Augusta Steppingstones to Recovery
$499,070
16 beds, 1 van

Kan.
Emporia
Corner House.
$308,295
18 beds,

Ky.
Hopkinsville
Pennyroyal Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center
$1,604,714
50 beds

Mich.
Detroit

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries
$932,500
60 beds, 1 van

– More –

Homeless 4/4/4/4

Mich.

(cont.)
Southfield
The Salvation Army
$1,241,289
34 beds

Southfield

The Salvation Army
$962,000
30 beds

Southfield
The Salvation Army
$397,289
30 beds

Mo.
Kansas City
The Salvation Army
$656,110
30 beds

N.M.
Las Cruces
Mesilla Valley Community of Hope
$180,750
22 beds, 1 van

N.Y.
Avon
Zion Episcopal Church
$96,015
6 beds

Bronx

Everywhere and Now Public Housing
$158,715

61 beds

Bronx
Everywhere and Now Public Housing
$188,500

84 beds

Schenectady
The Altamont Program, Inc
$46,332
12 beds

N.C.
Ridgecrest
First at Blue Ridge, Inc.
$125,813
10 beds

Ore.
Eugene
Sponsors, Inc.
$506,527
10 beds

Pa.
Philadelphia

Diversified Housing Solutions, Inc.
$436,020
30 beds

Pittsburgh
Community Human Services Corporation
$8,642
10 beds

Puerto

Rico

Aguadilla

Casa Del Peregrino Aguadilla, Inc.

$75,433

12 beds

S.C.
Wagner
Christ Central Ministries
$1,592,500
96 beds

Tenn.
Hohenwald
Buffalo Valley, Inc.
$142,350
14 beds

Texas
Houston

Forest Lawn Missionary Baptist Church
$169,361
25 beds, 1 van

Houston
Spiller Personal Care Home, Inc.
$1,900,000
184 beds,1 van

# # #

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust