Veterans Deserve a Home: HUD-VA Partnership

Veterans Deserve a Home

HUD-VA Partnership

Among property managers across the country, there are often concerns about housing homeless veterans. Perhaps they don’t have a steady income, or they have a criminal background. Or maybe they are just not accustomed to living around neighbors.

In early 2016, when The Villages at South Station near Seattle, Washington, started accepting Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers, we found many of our concerns were addressed. This is because HUDVASH, which is a permanent supportive housing program for homeless veterans offered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), provides case management support to help Veteran residents adjust.

Working in partnership with VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the King County Housing Authority (KCHA) in Washington State, The Villages has already housed nearly thirty formerly homeless Veterans. Since we took the opportunity to help homeless veterans, we have seen how HUDVASH vouchers can change lives. One of our residents housed through HUD-VASH is now a student and is working to regain custody of his daughter. We have another resident who, with his own money from his own job, bought a car and pays his rent on time every month.

To help ease the transition for our veteran residents, The Villages conducts a furniture donation program, where we collect items from residents who are moving out. It’s a simple way to get Veterans what they need and help them feel more at home, Veterans Deserve a Home HUD-VA Partnership which in turn makes the whole process of housing a homeless Veteran go more smoothly.

Yes, there are times when some of our HUDVASH residents have trouble adjusting to life after homelessness. They may find it hard learning to keep their noise levels down inside and accepting responsibility for how their actions may affect others as part of a community. But the great thing about the HUD-VASH program is that our residents are assigned a case manager who checks in with them every month — or more often if needed — and helps them tackle issues. For example, VA case managers may connect these Veterans with support services such as health care, mental health treatment, social skill development, community integration, and employment.

Property managers who accept HUD-VASH vouchers have the assurance that there’s a safety net for them and the veterans living in their community. Also, by accepting HUD-VASH vouchers, property managers can expect reliable monthly rental payments through the local public housing authority. They also have a say in setting their own security deposits based on local standards.

Housing homeless veterans isn’t always perfect, but neither is housing anyone else. Through HUD-VASH, we at The Villages have had the opportunity to help homeless veterans get back on their feet, and for that, we are grateful – because everyone deserves a home.

To join the effort to house homeless Veterans, please visit www.va.gov/homeless/docs/HCHV_Sites_bystate.pdf to locate and contact the VA Health Care for Homeless Veterans Coordinator in your area.

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Residential Resources: October/November 2017 Issue | Volume 28 | Number 10