ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Volunteers of America was recently awarded 18 grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The 18 VOA grants total $101,341,254 and are earmarked for 15 VOA affiliates (several affiliates received more than one grant) overseeing work in 22 states across the U.S. The purpose of the grants is to rehouse veterans and their families, preventing homelessness and finding safer, more suitable housing.
The grants were part of an over $800 million grant program by the VA, “Supportive Services for Veteran Families,” to help homeless and at-risk veterans and their families. These were given to community organizations that help to rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families, prevent the imminent loss of Veterans’ homes or identify more suitable housing situations.
The grants to VOA affiliates ranged from $1.1 million to VOA Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania) to $14.3 million to VOA Los Angeles with a wide range in between. Other affiliate recipients include VOA Mid-States (Ky., Tenn., W.Va.) with $12.2 million; VOA Colorado (Colo., N.M.) with $11.6 million; VOA Northern Rockies (Mont., Wyo.) with $10.9 million; VOA Chesapeake & Carolinas (N.C.) with $10.9 million; VOA Ohio & Indiana (Ohio) with $8.5 million; VOA Massachusetts with $5.8 million; VOA Southeast Louisiana (Ark., La.); VOA Illinois (Ill., Ind.) with $4.6 million; VOA Florida with $4.1 million; VOA Michigan with $4.1 million; VOA Greater New York with $3 million and VOA Northern California & Northern Nevada (Calif.) with $2.5 million; and VOA Southeast (Ga., Ala.) with $3 million.
“We are grateful to receive this funding and this recognition of our work from Veterans Affairs,” said Mike King, CEO at Volunteers of America (national office). “For more than a decade, Volunteers of America has been recognized as one of the top housing providers in the country. These funds will be put to good use helping to house many formerly homeless veterans and their families.”
Volunteers of America currently houses approximately 25,000 formerly homeless and at-risk veterans. The organization offers a wide range of programs as well that include mental health care and job training.
“We’re making real progress in reducing Veteran homelessness but there is much more work to do,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. According to the VA, the grants are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach which prioritizes housing Veterans, followed by providing them the wraparound support to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance and more. A full list of grantees is available here.
For more information on VOA and its programs, visit www.voa.org.