Dahlkemper Announces $100,000 Grant to Help Homeless Veterans in Erie

Washington, DC – June 8, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3) today announced that the Housing Authority of the City of Erie (HACE) has been awarded a $107,346 grant through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing program (HUD-VASH). This federal funding will provide rental assistance for homeless veterans in the Erie area, helping fulfill the promise to our veterans to provide for them after their heroic service. 

“Our veterans should never go without a roof over their heads or a safe place to call home,” said Rep. Dahlkemper. “This federal grant help provide affordable housing for the men and women who have served our nation. They have made extraordinary sacrifices so that we can live in security and freedom; no veteran in our community should have to live on the streets.”

Through the VASH program, the Erie VA Medical Hospital and HACE work together to identify homeless veterans in the community and help them get off the streets. The Erie Housing Authority then provides rental assistance vouchers, funded by this grant, to homeless veterans and helps them secure a contract for affordable housing. In addition to the rental assistance, VA Medical Centers provide supportive services and case management to eligible veterans.

HACE estimates it will be able to assist 25 local veterans with the $107,346 grant. Previous VASH funding has already helped 32 homeless veterans in Erie move from the streets to a home since December 2008.

John Horan, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Erie, said, “This grant will help HACE, in partnership with the Erie VA Medical Center, ensure that our veterans who have returned to Erie will have a safe, affordable place they can call home.”