HELP USA Develops Upwards of 1,000 Homes for Veterans Returning from War

HELP USA

Expansion of Permanent Housing across the Country Underway for Male and Female Veterans and their Families

New York, New York (March 26, 2009): HELP USA, one of the country's largest providers of housing, jobs and services for America's homeless and low income populations, today announced a three-year national expansion of permanent supportive service housing for returning war veterans. With the anticipated return of over 140,000 service men and women from Iraq and Afghanistan, HELP USA is developing upwards of 1,000 units of permanent housing for male and female war veterans and their families in states along the east and west coasts over the next three years.

At HELP USA sites across the nation, veterans currently receive state of the art living accommodations in addition to a nationally-recognized comprehensive package of social, psychological, educational, and medical services. HELP USA will now be able to meet the needs of an unprecedented number of women returning from active duty, many of whom are mothers, with an architectural and service model designed to support families and children. For its work over the past twenty years, HELP USA has been named a national Congressional model for the homeless with its holistic approach to providing housing and services for individuals and families in crisis. The organization has successfully served more than 220,000 people in its 29 residences in New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Texas, and Pennsylvania to date.

HELP USA's strong collaborative relationships with the US Dept of Veterans Affairs both locally and nationally ensure that services and benefits are coordinated for each veteran placed in permanent housing at each of the HELP USA sites. The sites incorporate HELP USA’s innovative model of comprehensive on-site human services tailored to meet the complex needs of veterans including specialized day care services to aid in re-establishing emotional attachment and allow service men and women the time they need to address personal issues; and family therapeutic counseling services to address issues of family reunification and reintegration that veterans and their families need. Additionally, professional case managers assist veterans with the often difficult transition to civilian life by offering counseling and employment programs.

HELP USA Chair, Maria Cuomo Cole states, “The expansion of HELP USA’s innovative and effective housing model will provide dignified homes for those who have served our country.”

Currently, 1 in 3 homeless men is a veteran of war, with nearly 200,000 homeless male veterans sleeping on the street each night as a result. This staggering statistic is compounded by the increase in women serving in recent wars and thus a corresponding increase in the domestic homeless female veteran population as well. To date, an estimated 8,000 female veterans are homeless in the United States and this statistic will grow as more and more women return from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information on how HELP USA building better lives for men and women returning from active duty, please visit www.helpusa.org/veterans.

About HELP USA:

Believing that more than bricks and mortar are necessary to rebuild people's lives, HELP USA provides housing for individuals and families in need and invests in their futures by providing these clients with vital human services that address the underlying causes of homelessness. Learn more about how HELP USA is building better lives at http://www.helpusa.org/.