U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Photo by Alastair Pike / AFP) (Photo by ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued nearly $2 million to address veteran homelessness in the Great Lakes region – including Wisconsin – the agency announced Thursday.
The funding, part of a $20 million HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, will be made available to 245 public housing agencies across 43 states. The program pairs rental assistance with case management and other Veterans Affairs support services.
Specifically, HUD said the funds are intended to pay for administrative activities like landlord recruitment and housing search assistance.
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In Wisconsin, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Richard Monocchio announced housing authorities in the state received $191,553.
"Through additional funding resources for one of our most valuable programs, HUD-VASH, we can provide a much-needed means to an end for our veterans at risk of homelessness," HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman said in a statement.
In southeast Wisconsin, the Racine County Housing Authority was given $17,240 and the City of Kenosha Housing Authority received $108. The Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority, which is based in Milwaukee, received $60,978.
Since the program’s inception in 2008, the department said the HUD-VASH has assisted more than 200,000 veterans exit homelessness and obtain permanent affordable housing.