$1.6 Million In Federal Funds To Fight Homelessness Among Michigan Veterans
DETROIT (AP) - The federal government is allocating $1.6 million to reduce homelessness among military veterans in Michigan, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters announced Monday.
The funding includes $993,000 for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit and $138,000 for the Ann Arbor Housing Commission and VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, the Michigan Democrats said.
Among the other recipients, the Kent County Housing Commission and Battle Creek VA Medical Center/Grand Rapids Community-Based Outpatient Clinic are getting $138,000, and the Lansing Housing Commission and Battle Creek VA Medical Center/Lansing Community-Based Outpatient Clinic are getting $100,000. In the Upper Peninsula, $34,000 is going to the state housing agency and the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, the senators said.
Peters said members of the U.S. military "put their lives on the line to defend our country, and we must ensure they have our full support when they return home and begin the transition back to civilian life. On any given night, there are nearly 50,000 veterans across the country without a roof over their heads."
The assistance is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Supportive Housing program, which combines HUD rental assistance vouchers with case management and clinical services provided by Veterans Affairs.
"America's veterans put their lives on the line for the safety of this country and its citizens," Stabenow said in a statement. "This support will help get our heroes off the streets and into permanent homes."
The program "combines rental assistance vouchers from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the VA to help homeless veterans find and keep permanent housing," the statement said. VA Medical Centers refer homeless veterans to local housing agencies for rental vouchers.
The vouchers are "based on an individual's duration of homelessness and need for long-term support to maintain permanent housing," the statement said.
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