Birmingham Community in Search of Landlords Ready to Welcome Homeless Veterans

HUD Senior Management Analyst, Hollis Wormsby of the HUD Birmingham Field Office speaks to realtors at an event sponsored in part by the City of Birmingham and the Veteran's Administration to recruit more landlords to participate in the HUD VASH program to house homeless veterans.

Landlords, realtors and housing providers were recently invited to Birmingham City Hall to learn about how they can support efforts to end veteran homelessness in the area. The Veteran's Administration, the Birmingham Housing Authority and HUD provided information on the HUD-VASH voucher program. This is a combined effort that provides housing via the Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, administered by the housing authorities to homeless veterans referred by Veterans Affairs (VA), who also receive case management and clinical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"We have a clear responsibility to serve those who served our nation and we need the help of the community to achieve this goal," said HUD Deputy Regional Administrator for the Southeast Christopher Taylor about the effort. "It's a privilege to partner with Birmingham and other communities dedicated to ensuring that no veteran has to call the streets their home," added Taylor. At the event, HUD's Senior Management Analyst, Hollis Wormsby shared a poem called the Final Inspection (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z360QPuMOU) by Sargent Josh Helterbran, which tells the story of a soldier waiting to determine his afterlife fate, as a way of encouraging the landlords to see the homeless soldiers in need in Birmingham in the same light to welcome Veterans into their apartment buildings based on the service they have provided to our country.

Attendees learned details on the funding, resources, case management and processes available to assist homeless Veterans enrolled with VA-including assistance for Veterans needing help with rental payments and deposits.

In an effort to end veteran homelessness, HUD and the VA announced in early April $65,420 to two local public housing agencies in Alabama to provide a permanent home to 13 veterans experiencing homelessness. The funding went to issue seven new HUD-VASH vouchers for the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, and six vouchers for Huntsville Housing Authority.

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