Grant helps homeless veterans

Grant helps homeless veterans

Photo via fb.com

A federal grant will provide assistance to help end veteran homelessness in the community.

U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow announced the $69,480 in federal funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, or HUD-VASH, program.

The funding will go to the Kent County Housing Commission, which will work with the Battle Creek VA Medical Center and the Wyoming VA Health Care Center to support homeless veterans.

The HUD-VASH program combines rental assistance vouchers from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the VA to help homeless veterans find and keep permanent housing.

VA medical centers are responsible for assessing homeless veterans and referring them to local housing agencies for rental vouchers. Vouchers are awarded based on an individual’s duration of homelessness and need for long-term support to maintain permanent housing.

“On any given night, there are nearly 40,000 veterans across the country without a roof over their heads,” Peters said. “This assistance will help homeless veterans in West Michigan find a permanent home and help keep our promise to support our veterans and their families during and after their service.”