Heitkamp Announces Significant Federal Funds to Help Combat Veteran Homelessness

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced more than $900,000 in federal funds to the North Dakota Coalition of Homeless People headquartered in Bismarck to help assist low-income veterans and their families that are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

These funds will be given to the North Dakota Coalition of Homeless People in Bismarck to offer veterans and their family members outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits and assistance in receiving other public benefits. The Coalition can also offer temporary financial assistance on behalf of veterans for rent and utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

"Our veterans willingly risk their lives so we may have the comfort of knowing our communities and families are safe," said Heitkamp. "And by not making sure they find their own place to call home when they come back, we are failing to live up to our commitment to them. Our veterans have given so much to our country, and these funds will help us give a little back to them. I will continue to work in the Senate to make sure we do more to provide access to rural health care, a quality education, a support system and much more for our veterans."

These funds are authorized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and are awarded under the Supportive Services of Veteran Families program. The VA has committed to ending veteran homeless by 2015 and to helping the approximately 115,000 homeless veterans nationwide get the assistance they need to obtain permanent homes for themselves and their families.

Last week, Heitkamp unveiled her new legislation that would better connect new veterans with services, resources, and benefits that are available in their communities. Heitkamp's bill, the Connect with Veterans Act, will create a database of contact information for newly-separated veterans that would allow them to connect to local resources. Throughout her discussions with veterans and work with the Senate Defense Communities Caucus, Heitkamp often heard from veterans about a desire to learn more about services and resources, and communities looking to help veterans. The Connect with Veterans Act is a direct result of that work.

Heitkamp also met with Jamestown-area veterans at the Knights of Columbus last week to discuss her new legislation as well as the bipartisan legislation the Senate just passed on August 1 to better support our veterans. The new bill works to restore trust in the VA and launches a nationwide Veterans Choice Card to improve access to care for rural veterans -- an initiative Heitkamp has called for since before she joined the Senate.

Since joining the Senate, Heitkamp has fought to stand up for veterans in North Dakota and throughout the country. In July 2013, Heitkamp completed a statewide listening tour to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing veterans, holding meetings and discussions in Minot, Bismarck, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, and Fargo. Last month, Heitkamp hosted her first Native American Veterans Summit in Bismarck. She brought together about 140 Native veterans, officials from the VA and Indian Health Service (IHS), and other advocates to give veterans a chance to be heard. It was also an opportunity for Native veterans to learn more about ongoing initiatives to connect them with services and benefits. At the end of July, she launched a new one-stop-shop webpage for Native American veterans, aiming to more easily connect these veterans with information about benefits and services available to them.

Source