1,000 veterans have a home because of PhillyVetsHome

Earlier this month, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Susan Kretsge, Deputy Mayor for Health & Opportunity, announced that more than 1,000 formerly homeless veterans have been placed in housing since the City launched a local initiative, PhillyVetsHome, to end veteran homelessness in August 2013.

PhillyVetsHome is a collaborative venture of  the City of Philadelphia, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) with nonprofit partners, including Project HOME, Pathways to Housing PA, among others.

“HUD is proud to be a partner in this amazing effort that is building momentum every day,” said Jane C.W. Vincent, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in a press release. “Significant progress has been made because of our commitment to our shared goals of providing housing for those men and women who have served to protect our freedom and way of life.”

The collaboration also recently released a report showing a 90 percent decrease in the number of unsheltered veterans over the past two years. The goal is for every veteran in the City of Philadelphia who is homeless to have the opportunity to find permanent housing, or to prevent homelessness for veterans who are at risk, by November 11, 2015. To achieve the goal, PhillyVetsHome is calling for more property owners to make rental units available for veterans. Landlords can express their interest in renting your property to a local veteran, by completing this form or email PhillyVetsHome2015@gmail.com for more information.

Image via The U.S. Army flickr