HUD Marks Major Milestone with Binghamton in Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness

(left to right): HUD Region II Administrator Holly Leicht, Binghamton Mayor Rich David.

The Mayors Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness calls for local solutions to a national problem. The brave men and women who answer the call to serve our nation's armed forces should never find themselves without a home, yet despite a 33% national reduction in veterans' homelessness since 2011, nearly 50,000 veterans are in exactly that position. That's why HUD and First Lady Michelle Obama challenged local Mayors last June to commit to eliminating veterans homelessness in their communities by the end of 2015, and since then over 250 Mayors, County Executives, and Governors have signed-on.

Now the approach is starting to show real results. On Wednesday, November 12, Regional Administrator Holly Leicht appeared with Mayor Rich David of Binghamton, New York to congratulate him on hitting an important milestone: since agreeing to take the challenge in August, the upstate city of 45,000 has identified a housing placement for every single veteran within its borders. And working closely with local nonprofit providers and the real-estate industry, Binghamton is taking a holistic approach to homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing that will keep veterans off the streets, making future instances of veterans homelessness brief, rare, and nonrecurring. HUD congratulates Binghamton and all the Mayors across New York and New Jersey who have recognized the imperative to end veterans homelessness.

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