VA Announces New Grants to Help End Veterans Homelessness
WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald today announced
the award of approximately $300 million in grants that will help approximately 115,000
homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families. The grants will be distributed to 301
community agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands.
Under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer
cooperatives that provide services to very low-income Veteran families living in – or
transitioning to – permanent housing. Those community organizations provide a range of
services that promote housing stability among eligible very low income Veteran families (those
making less than 50 percent of the area median income). The grants announced today will fund
the fourth year of the SSVF program.
“By working with community non-profit organizations, we have enlisted valuable
partners in our fight to end homelessness,” said McDonald. “The work of SSVF grantees has
already helped thousands of homeless Veterans and their families find homes and thousands
more have been able to stay in their own homes.”
Under the terms of the grants, homeless providers will offer Veterans and their family
members outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits and assistance
in receiving other public benefits. Community-based groups can offer temporary financial
assistance on behalf of Veterans for rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and
moving costs.
In 2009, President Obama announced the Federal government’s goal to end Veteran
homelessness by 2015. The grants are intended to help accomplish that goal. According to the
2013 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness, homelessness among Veterans has declined 24
percent since 2009.
“We want to make sure our Veterans receive the care and support that they have earned
and deserve,” McDonald added. “This is a program that, indeed, makes a difference.”
Through the Eliminating Veteran Homelessness Initiative, VA committed over $1 billion
in FY 2014 to strengthen programs that prevent and end homelessness among Veterans. VA
provides a range of services to homeless Veterans, including health care, housing, job training,
and education.
More information about VA’s homeless programs is available at www.va.gov/homeless.
Details about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program are online at www.va.gov/
homeless/ssvf.asp.
2014 SSVF Maryland Awards
Alliance, Inc.
$2,000,000
Baltimore, Howard, Harford, Cecil, Carroll, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Washington, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester.
7701 Wise Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21222
12-MD-042
Three Oaks Homeless Shelter, Inc.
$235,815
St. Mary's, Charles ,and Calvert
46905 Lei Drive, Lexington Park, MD, 20653
13-MD-107
Project PLASE, Inc.
$1,661,555
Baltimore City and Baltimore County
1814 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21229
14-MD-214
New Vision House of Hope, Inc.
$744,555
Baltimore County
200 East Lexington Street, Suite 605, Baltimore, MD, 21201
14-MD-215
Diakonia Inc.
$250,687
Somerset, Wicomico, and Worchester Counties
12747 Old Bridge Road, Ocean City, MD, 21842
14-MD-216
St. James A.M.E. Zion Church-Zion House
$355,062
Caroline, Talbot, Dorchester, Queen Anne, Kent, Wicomico, Worchester, and Somerset Counties
521 Mack Avenue, Salisbury, MD, 21801
14-MD-217