Schumer Reveals: With Over 7,000 Homeless Veterans in Hudson Valley, County Vets Housing Initiative at "Last Stop USA" in Dire Need of Support, Starved for Federal Funding

Press Release

SCHUMER REVEALS: WITH OVER 7,000 HOMELESS VETERANS IN HUDSON VALLEY, COUNTY VETS HOUSING INITIATIVE AT "LAST STOP USA" IN DIRE NEED OF SUPPORT, STARVED FOR FEDERAL FUNDING

Project, Pushed by Rockland Legislator John Murphy, Will Need Significant Funding to Build Affordable Housing for Homeless Vets, But Federal Homeless Veterans Programs Have Barely Any Funding

Vets from Iraq and Afghanistan Falling into Homelessness Much Earlier Than Vets After Vietnam - Extreme Post-Traumatic Stress After Extended Tours Could Send Thousands More into the Streets

At Camp Shanks, Schumer To Unveil Plan to Devote Millions in New Funding for Homeless Vets in Hudson Valley; Camp Shanks - Last Stop USA - Housed 1.3 Million Soldiers Before They Shipped off for D-Day Invasion

Standing at Camp Shanks, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today said that a new Rockland County veterans housing project located at "Last Stop USA" could be starved for funding in the future because federal homeless veterans programs have limited funding. Schumer said that with over 7,000 homeless veterans in the Hudson Valley, the region is in need of strong federal programs to boost the project.

In an effort to bolster the critical project at the historic Camp Shanks and provide affordable housing options for veterans in the region, Schumer unveiled a plan to devote millions in new funding for homeless veterans.

"One homeless veteran is one too many," Schumer said. "At Camp Shanks we have an enormous opportunity to help fill the housing gap for the Hudson Valley's homeless veterans, but our federal programs fall short. The legislation I am pushing will help to provide adequate housing for our nation's homeless heroes. Our veterans have served our country and in return we must serve them. The least we can do is make sure they have a roof over their head in the nation they fought to protect."

The Rockland Housing Action Coalition currently holds a five year, renewable lease to build rental housing for homeless veterans at the historic Camp Shanks, the largest World War II army embarkation camp in the United States. Over 1.3 million soldiers went through the camp, also known as "Last Stop USA," for processing before being deployed to Europe.

The project plan calls for initially building twenty-five one-story garden apartments, with a footprint for an additional twenty-five, that are one-to-three bedrooms primarily for homeless, service disabled veterans and their families. The homes would be permanently affordable, private and with supportive services on site. The project has completed a phase I environmental review and recently secured funding from private sources, as well as Rockland County, to begin phase II, which includes remediation.

As it enters into future phases, the project will need significant funding to reach completion. However, current federal veterans housing programs are limited.

Following a walking tour of the camp, Schumer today pledged to help obtain federal support for the project, and pushed legislation to bring millions in federal funding to homeless veterans housing projects across the country - the Homes for Heroes Act (HFH). Schumer said the legislation is supported by President-Elect Obama - a lead sponsor of the bill - and would be more likely to pass under a new Congress and Democratic Administration.

Schumer also said that the federal government has not done nearly enough to counteract the causes of veteran's homelessness or ensure that the VA has the resources it needs to ensure housing for low-income or mentally ill veterans. Roughly 45 percent of participants in the VA's homeless programs suffer from mental illness and more than three out of four have a substance abuse problem.

Schumer noted that mental health and homelessness programs run by the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Housing and Urban (HUD) have been starved of funding for years, leaving them unable to handle the increasing wave of new veterans who may find themselves on the streets. According to a NAEH report released in 2007, in order to reduce chronic homelessness among veterans by half, permanent supportive housing needs to be increased by 25,000 units and the number of vouchers available to veterans needs to be expanded to 20,000 up from only 10,000.

To help provide much-needed housing for homeless vets, the legislation would establish a $225 million assistance program for community and nonprofit organizations to purchase, build or rehabilitate housing for low-income veterans. The organizations would also provide supportive services including substance abuse and mental health counseling, vocational and employment training, transportation, child care and other services to help veterans live independently.

The act would also expand and make permanent the highly successful HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, which provides permanent housing subsidies and case management services to homeless veterans with mental and addictive disorders. By expanding the HUD-VASH program, the act would authorize 20,000 vouchers annually and make the program permanent. The HUD-VASH program combines HUD Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the Veterans Affairs at its medical centers and in the community. Currently, the HUD-VASH program only authorizes 10,000 vouchers annually.

Finally, the legislation would create a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs at HUD to coordinate services and housing with Veterans Affairs. It would require that public housing authorities come up with plans to address the needs of homeless veterans as part of their five-year comprehensive housing affordability strategy.

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