Wisconsin Homeless Veteran Program Receives Federal Support

Department to expand housing capacity by 35% and add female housing

Submitted to OnFocus – The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) has been awarded a grant from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) to continue to operate and expand Wisconsin’s successful Veterans Housing and Recovery Program (VHRP), which provides temporary housing, training, and supportive services to military Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in order to help them obtain permanent housing.

For more than 25 years, VHRP – through its community partnerships and extensive referral network – has helped homeless veterans in Wisconsin receive the job training, education, counseling and rehabilitative services they need to obtain steady employment, affordable housing and the skills to sustain a productive lifestyle. As part of the VHRP program, three transitional Veterans Housing Centers located in Chippewa Falls, Union Grove, and Green Bay provide housing and services to 78 Veterans in need.

“It is so important that we support the well-being of our state’s vulnerable Veterans,” WDVA Secretary Mary Kolar said. “I’m pleased the VHRP will continue to assist at-risk Veterans – men and women – navigate the pathway to stable housing by providing the tools and support to help put homelessness behind them.”

Under the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, the USDVA agrees to make a per diem payment to the State for each day a Veteran participates in the VHRP. With announcement of this grant, WDVA will expand services at both the Chippewa Falls and Union Grove locations, adding an additional 18 beds at Chippewa Falls and an additional 10 at Union Grove, allowing housing and other assistance to be provided to at least an additional 28 veterans during this grant cycle. The Union Grove location will also include housing and services for female Veterans.

The grants, awarded by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, are part of the Grant Per Diem program which provides funding to community organizations that provide transitional housing and supportive services for homeless Veterans, with the goal of “helping homeless Veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and income and obtain greater self-determination.”

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