Pallone Announces $665,055 Federal Funding to Provide Homeless NJ Vets with Permanent Homes

Long Branch, NJ – June 3, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced that the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs will receive $665,055 in federal funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in partner with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to offer permanent supportive housing by providing 75 vouchers to homeless veterans, many of whom are living with chronic disabling conditions.

“Homelessness among our veterans has declined, but our work is not done until every individual who served our country has a roof over his or her head and the benefits that he or she deserves,” said Congressman Pallone.  “The best way to honor our troops is to make sure that service members and their families have the tools they need to succeed when they come back home, and I’m pleased that this funding will contribute to that mission.”

The supportive housing assistance announced today is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. Through HUD-VASH, partnering VA medical centers, including the New Jersey Health Care System and Lyons VA Medical Center, work closely with homeless veterans to refer them to public housing agencies for these vouchers. These decisions are based upon a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of the homelessness and the need for longer term more intensive support to obtain and maintain permanent housing.

Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.

Since 2008, a total of 48,385 vouchers nationwide have been awarded and 42,557 formerly homeless veterans are currently in homes because of HUD-VASH.  HUD estimates that veteran homelessness fell by 7.2 percent (or 4,876 people) since January 2011 and by 17.2 percent since January 2009.  On a single night in January 2012, an estimated 62,619 veterans were homeless.

The grants announced today are part of $75 million appropriated this year to support the housing needs of homeless veterans.  This is the first round of the 2013 HUD-VASH funding.  HUD expects to announce more HUD-VASH funding this summer.