| Veterans
News Flash 
Number
of Homeless Veterans
Drops 21 Percent
Peake Selected to Chair Federal Homeless
Task Force
WASHINGTON – The
number of Veterans homeless on a typical night
has declined 21 percent in the past year, thanks
to the services offered by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) and it's partners in community-
and faith-based organizations, plus changing
demographics and improvements in survey techniques.
The reduction of homeless Veterans from more than
195,000 to about 154,000 was announced as Secretary
of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake was elected
to chair the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Peake’s election
to head the council coordinating the federal
response to homelessness came as VA released
the fourteenth annual Community Homeless Assessment,
Local Education and Networking Group (CHALENG)
report on homeless Veterans.
“We are seeing significant progress
in the fight against homelessness,” said
Peake. “This success should encourage all
those concerned about homeless Veterans, for it
shows we can make a difference in the lives of
these Veterans through our services and with our
community partners.”
The decline in Veterans’ homelessness was
attributed, in part, to VA’s success in providing
more services for homeless Veterans and improved
coordination of federal, state and local efforts.
VA provides health care
to about 100,000 homeless Veterans, and compensation
and pensions to nearly 40,000 annually. The Department offers
homeless Veterans employment assistance and help
obtaining foreclosed homes and excess federal property,
including clothes, footwear, blankets and other
items.
The Department has already approved funding for
more than 12,000 beds in transitional housing programs,
and provides about 5,000 Veterans each year with
residential services in VA hospital-based programs.
Other factors in the decline of homeless Veterans
include the substantial reduction in the number
of poor Veterans -- from 3 million in 1990 to 1.8
million in 2000 -- and improvements in counting
homeless people.
The U.S. Interagency Council
on Homelessness is the coordinating entity within
the federal government composed of 20 cabinet secretaries
and agency heads that creates partnerships at every
level of government and the private sector to end
homelessness.
SOURCE:
US Department of Veterans Affair
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