HUD TO PROVIDE PERMANENT HOUSING TO 25 HOMELESS VETERANS IN MASSACHUSETTS
Funding part of Obama Administration plan to end veteran homelessness

BOSTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that HUD will provide $267,177 to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development to provide permanent housing
for 25 homeless veterans in the state. The funding is provided through The Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH), a coordinated effort by HUD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local housing authorities to provide permanent supportive housing for veterans experiencing homelessness.

"Our veterans deserve something better than a life on the streets," said Richard A. Walega, HUD New England
Regional Administrator. "President Obama has given us very clear marching orders that, as a nation, we must end
the curse of homelessness especially for those who answered their country’s call to serve."

This funding to Massachusetts is part of the Obama Administration's strategy to end veteran and long-term chronic homelessness by 2015. Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (www.usich.gov/PDF/FactSheetVeterans.pdf) serves as a roadmap for how the federal government will work with state and local agreements to confront the root causes of homelessness, especially among former servicemen and women.

Working closely with the Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development will target rental assistance vouchers to homeless veterans in the state.

The grants announced today are part of a $75 million investment to support the needs of homeless veterans. With today's announcement, HUD will have allocated a combined $70 million to fund 9,800 housing vouchers nationwide
for 2010. The fourth and final competitive round will be announced later this year or early 2011. In addition to the rental assistance, the VA Medical Centers provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans.

HUD allocates the housing vouchers to local public housing agencies, which will target them to homeless veterans 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.

Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more
than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.