Veteran Stand Down Supported by HUD and Other Federal and Local Agencies

Linda Golden, HUD Greensboro Office

Approximately 140 homeless veterans attended the 2014 Triad Homeless Veterans Stand Down (www.nchvs.org/StandDown2010/tabid/59/Default.aspx) in Greensboro last month with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other federal agencies and local non-profit organizations such as the Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service and Guilford County providing them much needed support and services.

The Greensboro HUD Field Office (GFO) staff from Community Planning (CPD), Field Policy Management (FPM), Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), Multifamily (MFH) and IT, provided veteran housing assistance information and participated in supporting the overall event.

"This is the seventh year I served as a volunteer. It is an especially rewarding experience to have the opportunity to share housing program information face-to-face with area veterans each year and to hear their individual stories. What a great honor to assist those who served our country," said Linda Golden of the HUD Greensboro Office.

In addition to information, assistance and referrals, veterans also received medical, dental and vision services from local agencies as well as haircuts, clothing and footwear, personal care items and hot meals and refreshments. It was an extra special day designed to serve local men and women veterans that served our country.

"As always this was a very rewarding experience," said Loretta Williams of the HUD Greensboro Office.

Stand Downs are just one part of the Department of Veterans Affairs' efforts to provide services to homeless Veterans. Stand Downs are typically one to three day events providing services to homeless Veterans such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, VA and Social Security benefits counseling, and referrals to a variety of other necessary services, such as health care, housing, employment, and substance use treatment. Stand Downs are collaborative events, coordinated between local VAs, other government agencies, and community agencies serving the homeless.

HUD and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on October 1, 2014 over $1.3 million in rental housing vouchers to local public housing agencies in North Carolina to help 222 homeless Veterans find permanent supportive housing. These vouchers are provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA.

Last month, HUD, VA and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released a new national estimate of Veteran homelessness in the United States. In January of 2014, thousands of cities and counties across the country reported 49,933 homeless Veterans, a decline of 33 percent (or 24,837 people) since 2010. This includes a nearly 40 percent drop in the number of unsheltered Veterans sleeping on the street.

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