Schatz Announces More Federal Funds for Homeless Veterans

Brian Schatz. PC: Dec. 2016 by Wendy Osher.

Today, US Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs awarded $189,098 to the Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority to provide affordable housing for an additional 20 homeless veterans and their families in Hawaiʻi.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz said, “We have a fundamental moral obligation to help house those who have served our country in uniform.  This funding will help struggling veterans secure reliable housing and give them access to vital clinical and counseling services. While we still have a long way to go toward solving the crisis of veteran homelessness, these grants will help us get closer to reaching that goal.”

This funding will support up to 20 homeless and vulnerable veterans and their families gain access to affordable rental housing units through the private market.

The HUD-VASH funding announced today is in addition to a $1.25 million allotment received by the state in May, and a $330,960 allotment received in November.

The combined $1.77 million in HUD-VASH funding is supporting more than 160 housing vouchers to help homeless veterans offset the cost of rental housing as well as provide them with counseling services.