Allentown, PA – The Allentown Housing Authority (AHA) has received a $32,990 grant from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to expand a 6-year-old program that finds permanent housing for homeless veterans in the City of Allentown.
The grant, provided through HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers program, will cover the costs of providing housing for up to a 6 additional veterans seeking housing in the city, said AHA Executive Director Daniel R. Farrell.
“This is a program we began in 2012 with a similar HUD-VASH grant that allowed us to provide housing for 15 veterans,” Farrell said. “We have added more since then and this latest round of funds lets us help a total of 43 veterans. We are proud to be able to help those who sacrifice so much for our country and to help them find the services they need when they return home.”
HUD and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced April 6 that they will provide $43 million to 325 local public housing agencies (PHAs) across the country — including almost $500,000 for 13 PHAs in Pennsylvania to help a total of 85 vets statewide — to provide a permanent home to more than 5,200 veterans experiencing homelessness. The supportive housing assistance is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA.
A component of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, the HUD-VASH vouchers enable homeless veterans to obtain affordable, decent housing in the private market. These vouchers are critical tools in helping communities effectively end homelessness among veterans.
“Our nation’s veterans deserve more than a life on the streets,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “There is no greater responsibility than to end veteran homeless and to make certain that those who have served our nation have a home they can call their own.”
More than 87,000 vouchers have been awarded and approximately 144,000 homeless veterans have been served through the HUD-VASH program since 2008. More than 500 PHAs administer the HUD-VASH program, and this most recent award includes 102 additional PHAs, increasing HUD-VASH coverage to many communities. Rental assistance and supportive services provided through HUD-VASH are a critical resource for local communities in ending homelessness among our nation’s veterans.
In the HUD-VASH program, VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for these vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of homelessness and the need for longer term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. The HUD-VASH program includes both the rental assistance the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff offers.
Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
AHA works in coordination with the Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Allentown Outpatient Clinic to serve veterans in the Allentown area identified as needing housing assistance.
Farrell said the initial outreach found that many of the veterans in need of housing are older and, in many cases, served in the Vietnam War and are dealing with drug and alcohol addictions or physical disabilities that make it difficult to find housing.
The mission of the Allentown Housing Authority is to develop and manage quality affordable housing for low income households, provide fair housing opportunities, and positively impact the quality of life for residents in our community. We have been providing, safe, decent and affordable housing for low-income families, senior citizens and disabled residents of the Allentown region since 1937. To learn more about the Allentown Housing Authority, its programs and its properties, please go to www.allentownhousing.org/
Information provided by:
Allentown Housing Authority
1339 W. Allen St.
Allentown, Pa. 18102
