The latest award added 102 local public housing agencies to the housing assistance program
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have awarded $43 million to 325 local public housing agencies (PHAs) in a continued effort to end veteran homelessness.
The 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.
The latest award added 102 PHAs to the housing assistance program and increased the coverage to HUD-VASH to more communities. More than 500 PHAs administer the HUD-VASH program. Since 2008, the program has awarded more than 87,000 vouchers and served about 144,000 homeless veterans.
“Our nation’s veterans deserve more than a life on the streets,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said. “There is no greater responsibility than to end veteran homeless and to make certain that those who have served our nation have a home they can call their own.”
The HUD-VASH vouchers, which are a component of the Housing Choice Voucher program, enable homeless veterans to obtain affordable, decent housing in the private market.
Under the program, VA Medical Centers assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for these vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of homelessness and the need for longer-term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30% of their income toward rent.
