HUD's SE Regional Administrator Addresses Landlords at HUD-VASH Landlord/Housing Fair in DeKalb County

HUD SE Regional Administrtor Ed Jennings, Jr. speaking to local City of Atlanta Landlords

Recently, HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. addressed over 50 City of Atlanta landlords at the HUD-VASH Landlord/Housing Fair in DeKalb County, Georgia. The all-day educational and interactive housing fair connected landlords with over 40 veterans with HUD-VASH housing vouchers.

Ms. Chris Morris, Director, DeKalb County Human and Community Development Department provided welcoming remarks and was followed by HUD SE Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. who spoke on HUD's commitment to end homelessness among veterans and thanked landlords for their continued support of our veterans. Ms. Patricia Bradford, VA VISN 7 Network Homeless Coordinator added comments about VA's Commitment to End Homelessness among Veterans.

Later that day educational sessions were conducted on Housing Quality Standards Inspections, porting with HUD-VASH vouchers and VA case management in the HUD-VASH program. The day was capped off with veterans meeting face to face with landlords about potential housing options for them.

"One homeless veteran, one homeless patriot is one too many and the Obama Administration's "Opening Doors" strategy is the first of its kind that involves the entire Federal government in partnership with State and local community providers to end homelessness," said Ed Jennings, Jr. HUD Southeast Regional Administrator. "It is the most far-reaching and ambitious plan in our history to put our nation on the path toward ending all types of homelessness."

Opening Doors, is an unprecedented federal strategy to end veteran by 2015, and to end homelessness among children, families, and youth by 2020.

HUD's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) is an integral component in the Opening Doors strategy to end veteran homelessness and combines a HUD Housing Choice Voucher with VA case management and supportive services. The program is designed to assist homeless veterans find permanent housing through the Department's rental assistance program that connects homeless veterans from local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) with rental assistance vouchers provided by local public housing agencies. VA Medical Centers identify eligible candidates for public housing authorities, which administer the vouchers.

Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally 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. and Puerto Rico.

HUD allocates the housing vouchers to local public housing agencies, which work closely with local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) to target rental assistance vouchers to homeless veterans in their area. Homeless veterans are selected based on a variety of factors, including the number of reported homeless veterans and the proximity of a local VAMC with the capacity to provide case management. Veteran Affairs case managers will also work directly with local housing agencies that are administering the HUD-VASH program to determine income eligibility and help participants find suitable housing.

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