(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray,
Chairman of the Senate Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, announced that 25
housing vouchers worth $179,013 will be allocated to the Pierce County Housing
Authority to help local homeless veterans move into stable housing. The
vouchers are part of HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program
(HUD-VASH program). Senator Murray provided $75 million nationwide to fund the
HUD-VASH program in a Senate spending bill last year.
“This is another critical shot in the arm for efforts to
get homeless veterans in Pierce County off the streets and into stable
housing,” said Senator Murray. “Each one of these vouchers represents a
year’s rent for someone who has sacrificed for our nation but is now struggling
to find housing. For too long homeless veterans have been forgotten heroes.
These vouchers will help us step up our efforts to provide all veterans with housing
and the dignity that comes with it.”
Murray spoke about the need to continue the successful
HUD-VASH program at a Senate
hearing last month. Mike Brown, a formerly homeless veteran from Walla
Walla, attended the hearing, along with Stephen Norman, the Executive Director
of the King County Housing Authority.
Under the HUD-VASH program, Housing Authorities receive
vouchers that can be used for rental assistance in the local community. The
local Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility then works on outreach
efforts to identify homeless veterans who can be provided with vouchers. Each
rental assistance voucher is valued at roughly $7500 and provides rental
assistance for a housing unit for a homeless veteran and any family members. In
addition to the rental assistance, local VA Medical Centers provide supportive
services and case management to eligible homeless veterans.
Senator Murray included the $75 million for this program
in the 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations
bill which she oversees and which funds the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD).
Senator Murray is also a senior member of the Senate
Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Veterans
Appropriation Subcommittee.
English 
Spanish