Salem, VA

Salem goes above and beyond in helping homeless veterans find housing

Cheryl E Preston

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Homeless veterans have assistancePhoto byalevision.coonUnsplash

Local VA helps veterans find affordable housing

WSLS News 10 is reporting some wonderful and heartwarming news for a segment of the local homeless community thanks to a statewide effort. In 2022 Virginia had a goal to house 38,000 veterans experiencing homelessness through the VA Homeless Program. and the Salem VA assisted in helping to exceed the state goal by providing "125 permanent housing placements to homeless veterans." Nationwide 40,401 veterans were assisted, which exceeded the national goal by 6.3%, VA officials also revealed that since 2010 the number of homeless veterans has been slashed by 55% which is really good to hear.

“This goal was achieved through the hard work and dedication of our homeless program staff, our grantees, contractors and the extraordinary contributions of community partners,” said Rebecca Stackhouse, Salem VA HCS Executive Director. “The progress we’re seeing with Veteran homelessness shows we have the right solutions to end homelessness for Veterans. We are very fortunate to have an outstanding team that is laser-focused on the mission and that truly puts Veterans first.”

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There are now less homeless veterans than in 2010Photo bySteve KnutsononUnsplash

Local veterans and those statewide receive assistance

Decades ago there were people who would be paid to take in veterans in rooming house-type situations but in recent years some of those who served our country have been on the streets holding
up signs announcing they were homeless veterans. Now there is a way for them to obtain permanent housing which includes apartments or houses that can be rented or owned (Some with a subsidy to help the housing be more affordable).

The HAT (Homeless Assistance Team) in Roanoke also subsidizes housing for mental health patients who have been homeless for a while and meet other criteria. There are also programs to assist veterans who are facing eviction so they will not end up homeless.

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I write, about breaking news, and current events. I wrote a newspaper column from 1997 to 2007 and have written for various online platforms since 2012 including Yahoo Contributor Network, Hubpages, and Vocal Media.

Roanoke, VA
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