By George Bao Sept. 14, 2016
LOS ANGELES – U.S. Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) announced Wednesday that seven organizations serving Los Angeles City and County received more than $13 million in grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs to fund programs to help end veteran homelessness.
Lieu’s office announced that the grants will fund support programs for veterans facing homelessness in Los Angeles City and County through the following organizations: New Directions, Inc., Mental Health America of Los Angeles, 1736 Family Crisis Center, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), Salvation Army – a California Corporation, United Veterans Initiative and Volunteers of America of Los Angeles, Inc.
“We can’t end Veteran homelessness in the United States without ending it in Los Angeles County,” Lieu said in a statement.
“This latest round of VA grants to seven organizations in L.A. County is a strong step forward in our collective mission to ensure that no man or woman who has served the United States in uniform has to fight for a roof over their heads when their tour of duty is complete. I look forward to working with these seven organizations to honor and care for our community of Veteran heroes.”
According to National Alliance to End Homelessness, in January 2014, communities across America identified 49,933 homeless veterans during point-in-time counts, which represents 8.6 percent of the total homeless population.
According to National Alliance to End Homelessness, 91 percent of homeless veterans are male, 98 percent are single, 76 percent live in a city, and 54 percent have a mental and/or physical disability.
Black veterans are substantially overrepresented among homeless veterans, comprising 39 percent of the total homeless veteran population but only 11 percent of the total veteran population.
As troops return from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the face of veteran homelessness has changed: homeless veterans are increasingly younger, female, and heads of households.