HUD, VA TO PROVIDE PERMANENT HOUSING, CASE MANAGEMENT TO 100 HOMELESS VETERANS IN TEXAS
Austin, San Antonio and Houston Receive Vouchers

FORT WORTH - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide $714,897 to public housing authorities in Texas to supply permanent housing and case management for 100 homeless veterans in the state. This is the fourth and final round of the FY 2010 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) funding to support homeless veterans.

The following Housing Authorities and their partner organizations received funding:

Since the program's inception in 2008, HUD-VASH has helped 2,105 homeless veterans in communities throughout Texas obtain housing. HUD-VASH is a coordinated effort by HUD, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local housing authorities to provide permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans. For a local breakdown of
the rental vouchers announced today, visit HUD's website.

"As our young men and women return from Afghanistan and Iraq, they deserve to be treated with dignity and honor. Yet our nation's veterans are 50 percent more likely than the average American to become homeless," said HUD Secretary Donovan. "These vouchers continue to get more of our veterans off the streets and out of homeless shelters into permanent housing."

The vouchers announced today are part of a set-aside of project-based vouchers HUD announced last September that would be competitively awarded to housing authorities that received HUD-VASH vouchers in 2008, 2009 or 2010. Under HUD's project-based voucher program, housing authorities can assign voucher assistance to specific housing units. These vouchers will enable homeless veterans to access affordable housing with an array of supportive services.

This funding to local housing authorities 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 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.

The grants announced today are part of a $75 million investment to support the housing needs of homeless veterans. This is the fourth and final competitive round to allocate the remaining FY2010 HUD-VASH funding. With today's announcement, HUD will have funded 10,186 housing vouchers for homeless veterans nationwide for 2010. HUD will announce the 2011 HUD-VASH funding during the summer. In addition to the rental assistance, the VA Medical Centers provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans.

Veterans are referred to the public housing authority for these vouchers, based upon a variety of factors, most importantly the need for and ability to benefit from supportive housing. Supportive housing includes both financial
help the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff provides.

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.