Veterans 50 Percent More Likely To Be Homeless, Study Shows

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/10/homeless-veterans-report-hud_n_821433.html

A new report released today confirms what many Americans have long known: veterans make up a disproportionate amount of the nation’s homeless population.

The federal government’s first-ever comprehensive Veteran Homelessness study shows that veterans are 50 percent more likely to become homeless than other Americans. Additionally, minority veterans have an even greater chance of ending up on the streets or in homeless shelters.

As part of the national strategy against homelessness, President Obama’s administration has set the ambitious goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015.

The study, published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), uses data compiled from the 2009 nationwide homeless assessment to better understand the homeless veteran population.

A total of 75,609 veterans were found to be homeless on the January 2009 night that the count was conducted. More than half (57 percent) of them were staying in homeless shelters or transitional living facilities, while the remaining 43 percent were sleeping on the street.

Over the course of the year, from October 2008 to September 2009, 136,334 veterans stayed at a homeless shelter or transitional facility at least one night.

That figure means that a staggering one of every 168 American veterans experienced homelessness during that 12-month period.
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According to the HUD,

“This report offers a much clearer picture about what it means to be a veteran living on our streets or in our shelters,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Understanding the nature and scope of veteran homelessness is critical to meeting President Obama’s goal of ending veterans’ homelessness within five years.”

$13 Million to Help Homeless Veterans in L.A.

Let’s start the new year with an encouraging story. This is a follow-up to a previous blog post about the L.A. Chamber of Commerce reaching out to end homelessness.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has donated $13 Million dollars to help move forward the plan to build 2,500 permanent supportive housing units, and offer housing assistance in other ways, to chronically homeless veterans (chronically homeless means homeless for a year or more.)

There are approximately 12,000 chronically homeless veterans in Los Angeles.

 

$13 Million to Help Chronically Homeless Veterans in L.A. County

By City News Service www.egpnews.com

An initiative to end chronic and veteran homelessness in Los Angeles County within five years was boosted yesterday by a $13 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

The Los Angeles Business Leaders Task Force on Homeless, which is leading the initiative, plans to use $9 million of the money to help build 2,500 permanent supportive housing units. Another $3.6 million will go toward identifying and housing 4,500 of the most vulnerable people on the streets.

The rest of the grant will fund a pilot program to ease the transition into housing, and to engage faith leaders and communities in the campaign.

“The Hilton Foundation has been championing solutions for long-term homelessness for two decades, and we have learned that permanent supportive housing is the most cost-effective and successful,” said Steven Hilton, president and chief executive of the Hilton Foundation. “This approach restores stability, autonomy and dignity, and helps individuals integrate back into the community.”

Permanent supportive housing combines affordable housing with on-site comprehensive services such as mental health treatment, substance abuse prevention, employment opportunities and life training.

According to the Hilton Foundation, studies have shown it is 40 percent less costly to place someone in permanent supportive housing than to leave them on the streets.