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To help end veteran homelessness, the federal government is awarding $175,476 to Utah.
The funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will help 30 Utah homeless veterans find a permanent place to call home.
In January 2014, Utah declared that all chronically homeless vets had been provided a place to live — the second state to do so, behind Arizona.
Nonetheless, the annual Point-In-Time count of homeless people in January 2016 found three chronically homeless vets in Utah and 54 who had become homeless in the past year, according to Christina Davis, Utah Department of Workforce Services. Many vets who are homeless don't fit into the "chronic" category because they haven't been on the street for more than year or experienced multiple episodes of homelessness the past three years.
The rental assistance announced Thursday is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. It works to reduce veteran homelessness by providing funding for both housing and supportive services that are essential for ending homelessness for tens of thousands of veterans nationwide.
In a prepared statement, HUD Secretary Julian Castro said partnering with communities is key to ensuring no veteran has to call the streets home.
"Supporting the brave men and women who served our nation is not only our honor but also our responsibility," Castro said. "Joining the more than 111,000 formerly homeless veterans who have already found homes through this successful program, thousands more brave veterans will be able to start a new chapter in their lives."
Veterans participating in the program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.