Capps Announces Funds to Support Homeless Veterans

The Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County has been awarded $250,719, the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo has been awarded $391,745, and the Housing Authority of the City of Buenaventura was awarded $271,148. The permanent supportive housing assistance grants are provided through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH), a program administered by HUD, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and local housing agencies.

“Our veterans have served our nation with distinction and we owe it to them to ensure they have the services and support they need when they return home. The Obama Administration has made great strides over the past couple of years in this area, having already reduced veterans’ homelessness by twelve percent. But there is much more to do. The public housing authorities on the Central Coast do tremendous work in our local communities and I am confident they will put these important funds to work quickly to house our veterans,” said Capps.

In 2009, President Obama and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced the federal government would work to end homelessness amongst the nation’s veterans by 2015. Veterans are more likely to be homeless than any other demographic group. According to data compiled by the VA in January 2011, 67,495 homeless Veterans spent the night on the streets of America and an estimated 144,842 Veterans spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. To read more about federal efforts to combat Veterans’ homelessness, read here.