HUD, VA TO PROVIDE PERMANENT HOUSING AND SUPPORT TO 600 HOMELESS VETS IN TEXAS
Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Dallas, Fort Worth, Harris Co, Harlingen, San Antonio Receive Vouchers; Total of Vouchers for Some Texas Cities Now Numbers in the Hundreds

FORT WORTH - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide 600 new Section 8 vouchers to public housing agencies Texas to supply permanent housing and case management for homeless veterans.

This funding, from HUD's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH), is a coordinated effort by HUD, VA, and local housing agencies to provide permanent housing for homeless veterans. For a complete list of grantees, vouchers received, and total number of vouchers for major cities, see below.

The grants are part of $50 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2011 to support the housing needs of 6,900 homeless veterans nationally. VA Medical Centers (VAMC) provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans. This is the first of two rounds of the 2011 HUD-VASH funding. HUD expects to announce the remaining funding by the end of this summer.

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.

Homeless veterans are referred to the public housing agencies for these vouchers, based upon a variety of factors, most importantly the need for and willingness to participate in case management. The HUD-VASH program includes both the rental assistance the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff provides.

"Over the past three years, HUD helped thousands of homeless veterans find a permanent place to call home while
VA provided medical treatment, case management and other services to address their specific needs," said HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. "We have no greater mission than to prevent and end
homelessness, especially for those brave men and women who risked their lives to protect our nation."

"This initiative will strengthen our ongoing efforts to eliminate veteran homelessness by 2015 and improve quality of life for veterans," said VA Secretary Shinseki. "Working with our partners at HUD and in Congress, we continue to make good progress to reduce veteran homelessness though much work remains. VA is committed to providing veterans and their families with access to affordable housing and medical services that will help them get back on their feet."

This funding to local housing agencies is part of the Obama Administration's commitment 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 participating VA Center. Housing Authority that will administer the voucher, number of vouchers announced
today and the funding amount for Texas is below:

Adding past years' HUD-VASH funding with today's, some cities in Texas now have hundreds of HUD-VASH vouchers, including Houston/Harris County, with 795 vouchers, Dallas, with 410; Fort Worth, with 180; San Antonio, with 365 and El Paso, with 265.

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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.