Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced federal grants worth $1,206,025 to help prevent homelessness among struggling veterans and their families in the Hudson Valley. The federal grant funding is allocated from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program.
“New York’s veterans and the families who stand by them bravely serve our country, and now we need to fight for them,” Senator Gillibrand said. “We can’t allow our veterans and their families to slip through the cracks here at home in this tough economy. This investment will help keep a roof over the heads of veterans and their families, and help keep them on stable ground. I will keep fighting my hardest to secure all the benefits and resources that our veterans and their families have earned.”
“Hudson River Housing is proud to be able to provide this vital assistance to the families of our veterans,” said Ed Murphy, Executive Director of Hudson River Housing. “There is an urgent need to expand veteran services to assist veterans and their families in accessing stable housing and the other community supports they need. Often, the needs of family members of veterans, who are a critical component of the support system for veterans themselves, are not considered by the current service system. This funding will help ensure that very low income veteran families are able to secure permanent housing, and help them overcome barriers to obtaining the programs and services they need and deserve. Hudson River Housing is pleased to be able to play a role in supporting our veterans, and move our organization into this important area of work.”
Hudson River Housing is being awarded $270,000 in new federal funding to help provide assistance to low-income veterans and their families while transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing, as well as help at-risk veteran families stay in their homes and avoid homelessness. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Senator Gillibrand advocated for the VA’s support for Hudson River Housing.
Westchester Community Opportunity Program (WestCOP) is being awarded $936,025 through the SSVF program. The grant is a renewal of federal funding that Senator Gillibrand pushed to secure, and will serve veteran family households in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Ulster Counties.
The grants are part of nationwide initiative totaling more than $100 million in homeless prevention grants to improve very low-income veteran families’ housing stability. Grants are awarded to private, non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives to provide support services to very low-income veteran families living in or transitioning to permanent housing.
Senator Gillibrand’s letter from March 2012 in support of Hudson River Housing is attached.