I Have Been In My Apartment For Three Years

(l to r) Veterans Alumni Association members Mike Lemuel, Peter "Doc" Wight, Ron Harrington and Andrea Meluzzi.

HUD, Veterans Administration and Connecticut Department of Housing staff with veterans.

The HUD Hartford Field Office held its annual HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) (https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/hud-vash/) roundtable on December 8, 2015. Field Office Director Suzanne Piacentini, Public and Indian Housing (PIH) Director Jennifer Gottlieb Elazhari, and HUD, Veterans Administration (VA) and Connecticut's Department of Housing staff led the presentations for participating housing authorities and VA-VASH case management staff.

The roundtable focused on celebrating the state's success to date in ending chronic veteran homelessness and its collective efforts to end veteran homelessness. There was an exchange of best practices and a discussion of areas for improvement to increase VASH utilization and to decrease the time between a veteran being identified for a VASH voucher and the execution of a lease.  

HUD Community Planning and Development (CPD) Senior Financial Analyst Kevin O'Neill spoke about the utilization of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership, Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) programs to assist in the effort to end veteran homelessness and programs to create new permanent housing opportunities.

Members from the CT-VASH Veterans Alumni Association concluded the meeting with their own perspectives on having experienced homelessness then living successfully in the community after having received a HUD-VASH. Veteran Ron Harrington shared his own personal story and expressed, "I have been in my apartment for three years, and I am still happy every time I return and put my key in the door".

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