Photo by Susan Madden Lankford
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) just awarded $7 million to 24 local public housing agencies across the country to help nearly 1,000 homeless Veterans find permanent housing. This supportive housing assistance is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA.
Later in 2014, HUD anticipates awarding approximately 10,000 new HUD-VASH vouchers to build upon significant progress toward ending veteran homelessness. Since 2008, more than 59,000 HUD-VASH vouchers have been awarded, and 43,371 formerly homeless veterans are currently in homes of their own. These vouchers offer rental assistance and support services.
Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and usually contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. The VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico.
Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, Interim Under Secretary for Health, said:
VA, HUD and our federal, state and local partners should take pride in the progress made to reduce Veterans’ homelessness by 24 percent since 2010, but so long as there remains a Veteran that lives on our streets, we have more work to do. These HUD-VASH vouchers are a vital tool in our effort to provide our Veterans with the earned care and benefits that help them live productive, meaningful lives.
HUD-VASH is a key part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to end veteran homelessness by 2015. Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness serves as a roadmap for how the federal government will work with state and local communities to confront the root causes of homelessness, especially among former servicemen and women.
Recently Michelle Obama, VA and HUD created a Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness by 2015, using federal, local and non-profit resources, and so far 180 mayors and several governors have accepted the challenge. The use of tools like HUD-VASH vouchers are central to reaching that goal.
In the HUD-VASH program, VA Medical Centers work closely with homeless veterans before referring them to local housing agencies for these vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of the homelessness and the need for longer term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing.
Once a HUD-VASH voucher is issued, a veteran has up-to 120 days to use the voucher to lease a unit, after which, unless the the veteran is granted an extension, he or she loses the voucher, and it is offered to the next eligible applicant. Local housing agencies should not require veterans to demonstrate sobriety or “housing readiness” as a condition for receiving a voucher. Nor should vets have to meet a minimum income requirement.
All agencies involved in the housing placement process should work collaboratively to streamline the HUD-VASH enrollment and lease-up process. Housing-placement boot camps, organized by 100K Homes, are full-day events during which members from each agency work together to construct a game board that represent each step of the housing-placement process. Agencies then use the game board to streamline their placement process while still meeting their documentation and other requirements.
To facilitate rapid lease-up, veterans often need assistance paying the security deposit and other move-in costs. The HUD-VASH subsidy, by statute, cannot help with these expenses, but some communities have successfully established other sources of funding to help veterans pay for moving and related expenses. To cover moving costs, HUD-VASH programs can access local HUD funding through the Community Development Block Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant programs or VA funding from Supportive Services for Veterans Families grants. Some communities have also partnered with local banks and businesses to develop programs where veterans can receive loans to pay for moving-related expenses.
