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January 15, 2016


The 1,000 Homeless Veterans Collaborative Initiative


HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s Homelessness Action Plan


San Diego, CA–During his State of the City Address last night, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced “Housing Our Heroes,” a collaborative effort to provide housing opportunities for 1,000 homeless Veterans within a year, which is one of the four program components of The 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative of the San Diego Housing Commission’s (SDHC) HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s three-year Homelessness Action Plan (2014-17).

The Mayor’s ‘Housing Our Heroes’ program will reach out to landlords and include funding.

Under SDHC’s 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative, SDHC President & CEO Richard C. Gentry has identified close to $12.5 million in Federal, City, and SDHC resources that will be invested to provide housing opportunities for homeless Veterans in the City of San Diego who are living on the streets or in shelters:

  • 300 Chronically homeless Veterans with a disabling condition who need supportive services and who qualify for the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) voucher program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is administered by SDHC;
  • 100 Veterans who are eligible for the HUD Sponsor-Based Housing Voucher program, which is administered by SDHC. Veterans will receive supportive services, such as case management; and
  • Up to 600 additional homeless Veterans who will also be provided with housing opportunities through the Rapid Re-housing and “Housing Our Heroes” programs.

All participants of The 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative must be referred by SDHC partner agencies or organizations that provide supportive services to homeless San Diegans.

The four components of The 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative include:

  1. Landlord Outreach – “Housing Our Heroes”
  2. Rapid Re-housing
  3. SDHC Federal VASH Vouchers
  4. SDHC Federal Housing Vouchers with Supportive Services

Funding approvals are required by the San Diego City Council and SDHC Board of Commissioners.

Additional details of the comprehensive $12.5 million HOUSING FIRST –

SAN DIEGO 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative will be announced at a later date with SDHC’s CEO, the Mayor, City Councilmembers, SDHC Board of Commissioners, and partners.

This is the fourth new initiative announced for the second year of HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO. 

Background:

HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO, SDHC’s three-year Homelessness Action Plan was announced on November 12, 2014, as a five-point action plan:

  1. Award Development Funds – Up to $30 million
  2. Commit up to 1,500 Federal Rental Housing Vouchers
  3. Renovate Hotel Churchill – 72 Units of Permanent Supportive Housing
  4. Invest “Moving to Work” Federal Funds to Acquire Property
  5. Dedicate SDHC-owned Housing Units – 25 for Homeless San Diegans

On December 3, 2015, SDHC announced three additional new HOUSING FIRST – SAN DIEGO initiatives:

  1. The Guardian Scholars Program at San Diego State University (SDSU) — Rental assistance for up to 100 students who have been homeless or at risk of homelessness.
  2. The Monarch School Project – Federal housing vouchers for 25 families with students impacted by homelessness.
  3. Award Development Funds – For the second consecutive year, up to $10 million will be awarded to developers to create Permanent Supportive Housing or convert existing transitional housing to Permanent Supportive Housing.

For more information about SDHC, visit www.sdhc.org.

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Media Contact:
Maria Velasquez
Sr. Vice President Communications & Legislative Affairs
619-578-7560
mariav@sdhc.org

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