Rep. Mike Thompson Announces More than $108,000 to Provide Permanent Housing and Support to North Coast Veterans

Press Release

Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-01) today announced a $108,210 federal grant that will help provide permanent housing and support to veterans on the North Coast. The grant, provided through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be awarded to the Ukiah VA Outpatient Clinic. The funds will be used as vouchers to provide rental assistance for homeless and disabled veterans.

"One out of six men and women living in our shelters once served our country in uniform," said Thompson. "This is a disgrace. We can and must do better. I am proud to have voted to make these grants possible, but we still have more work to do. I am committed to ending veteran homelessness, and these grants will help us find permanent housing solutions for our nation's heroes."

"We're extremely excited to get this grant for this very important type of assistance for homeless and disabled veterans," said Michele Roth, housing program manager of the Community Development Commission (CDC) of Mendocino County.

"Our Section 8 voucher program for rental assistance has been closed for a year so without this new grant we would not have been able to provide this kind of help to more veterans," said Todd Crabtree, executive director of the CDC.

The permanent supportive housing assistance grants are provided through HUD's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH), a program administered by HUD, VA, and local housing agencies to provide permanent housing with case management and other supportive services for homeless veterans across the country.

The grants are part of $75 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2012 to support the housing needs of approximately 10,500 homeless veterans nationwide.

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