HUD AND VA ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO HELP MORE HOMELESS VETERANS IN RURAL AREAS FIND PERMANENT HOMES
HUD provides HUD-VASH vouchers to help 529 homeless Veterans in rural areas

WASHINGTON - In a continuing effort to help end veteran homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announce $2.9 million to local public housing agencies across the country to provide a permanent home to 529 veterans and their families who are experiencing homelessness in rural areas (see attached list below).

The supportive housing assistance announced today is 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. See local funding chart below. This year, HUD awarded approximately $60 million to support more than 8,000 veterans and their families. HUD-VASH ensures that veterans experiencing homelessness receive both the housing and services to live stably in their own homes.

"Homelessness is not unique to our big cities so as we work to end veteran homelessness, we must reach out to those vets living in rural areas as well," said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. "As a top priority of this Administration, we've dramatically reduced veteran homelessness in this country because we have a clear responsibility to serve those who served our nation."

"As a nation, we rightly made a commitment to help Veterans exit homelessness regardless of the communities where they settle after military service," said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. "We have followed through on that commitment by reducing Veteran homelessness nearly in half nationwide. But much of that progress has come in urban areas so the HUD-VASH awards announced today, which benefit more than 40 rural communities where affordable housing is scarce, are a necessary step in the vital work of taking care of the women and men who bravely served us all."

Since 2010, the Obama Administration and 19 federal agencies and offices that form the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched the nation's first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness.Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (http://www.usich.gov/opening_doors/) serves as a roadmap for how the federal government will work with state and local communities to confront the root causes of homelessness, especially among former servicemen and women.

More than 87,000 vouchers have been awarded and over 120,000 homeless veterans have been served through the HUD-VASH program since 2008. Rental assistance and supportive services provided through HUD-VASH are a critical resource for local communities in ending homelessness among our nation's veterans.

In the HUD-VASH program, VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for these vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of homelessness and the need for longer term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. The HUD-VASH program includes both the rental assistance the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff offers.

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, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.

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