The number of veterans experiencing homelessness nationwide has decreased 11% since 2020, and a similar improvement has been observed in Nebraska.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said there's been a 55% decrease in the number of homeless veterans since 2010, and the VA is within reach of meeting its goal of rehousing 38,000 veterans this year.
Kerry Miller Loos, mental health specialty programs director for the Nebraska-Western Iowa VA Health Care System, said hundreds of millions of dollars of American Rescue Plan funds were directed to the need, which helped tremendously, including preventing people from becoming homeless.
"So, perhaps they were behind in rent or behind on utilities, but then we were also able to house veterans, using that money for deposits, first month's rent, things like that," Miller Loos outlined. "To help get veterans into their housing faster."
The VA works with homelessness coalitions and landlord engagement groups throughout the state. Miller Loos noted there are some great landlords, but the lack of affordable housing is still a significant problem.
Miller Loos pointed out the VA's program, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, has funds to help low-income veterans and their families. The money is distributed to community action agencies which cover every county in Nebraska.
"So they are able to provide case management and other supportive services to prevent imminent loss of a veteran's home, or identify a more suitable housing situation," Miller Loos explained.
Veterans make up around 7% of the general population, but around 13% of the homeless population.
Miller Loos added one reason is many veterans of all ages suffer from chronic health conditions, making it hard for them to find and maintain employment at wages sufficient to afford stable housing.
"Very low-income people have to make decisions about paying for food, clothing, transportation and a place to live," Miller Loos emphasized. "And sometimes, they can't do all of those things."
She added all social-service agencies are trained to refer veterans to Supportive Services for Veteran Families or other programs appropriate for them. Any vet at risk of becoming homeless can also call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 to be connected with resources in their area.
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Native Americans in Montana face a slew of challenges to finding housing off reservations - including discrimination. A tight housing market in the state and across the country presents its own problems for finding an affordable place to live.
But Les Left Hand, program director for All Nation Youth Partner for Success in Billings, said his last name was a barrier for him and his wife when they were looking for a home, and added eventually they used her maiden name on applications.
"When she applied for some of these places as just 'Leslie Martin' they were more open to that until they saw my name on there." he said. "Then that's when the red flags were waved and, of course, some of them were just outright not willing to talk to us."
Left Hand's organization works to prevent drug use among young people ages nine to 20 and he said people they work with, as well as his friends and family, have similar experiences. Rental costs like security deposits and first and last months' rent can be challenges as well. Census data finds more than a quarter of Native Americans live in poverty.
Left Hand said young people especially find it hard to move off their reservations because they are not as financially established.
"It's frustrating for them and that's when they give up and go back home and have to live in a tight, cramped household again because we don't really turn away any of the family members that do come back," Left Hand said. "We just accommodate until they can find a better resource or a different avenue."
Analyses on housing issues for Native Americans are scarce but a study from before the pandemic found 16% of Native Americans reported overcrowding, compared with 2% of the U.S. population as a whole.
Left Hand said organizations like the Native American Development Corporation can help people who feel they have been discriminated against, or are having trouble looking for housing. Most of all, he encourages people to be persistent.
"I'm always willing to help people out and try to steer them in the right direction and then just give them the hope that there is somebody out there that might have an opportunity to open a door and then they succeed in that area," he said. "But then like I tell them, don't give up so easily."
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About $3-million has been awarded to Virginia groups helping people facing evictions. The Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot Program is designed to find effective services for people facing housing instability. According to the R-V-A Virginia Eviction Lab's third quarter report, eviction filings increased 86% from the previous quarter, with Charlottesville seeing some of the largest increases. Much of this is due to pandemic-related renter protections being lifted.
Christie Marra, director of housing advocacy with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said while this third round of funding is a much-needed financial boost, it is not enough.
"The programs that are getting the funding now are not getting enough to meet the need in their area," Marra said. "And so, while the eviction rates for every locality that has a VERP-funded program serving it did go down, there is a lot of room for improvement."
She added that in the past, one of the groups that received funding went through it in two months. As the Virginia General Assembly's legislative session gets under way, tenant's rights legislation is one issue at the forefront of legislators' minds. One such piece of legislation, the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, seeks to increase the grace period for late rent, and would allow tenants to break leases when they move in and find a unit is uninhabitable.
While these grants are working to alleviate the eviction crisis, Marra hopes proposals for other tenant assistance programs will be taken up as well. One in particular is the Virginia Housing Stability Fund, which would be a state housing voucher program.
Marra acknowledged it won't come cheap, but said this program could aid numerous families.
"What we're asking for is for 90 million, and this would be a one-time ask for this pilot program to serve 5,000 households over the period of four years," she said.
In addition to gathering data, this program will also provide longer-term financial support than most VERP. The program hopes to bridge the gap between the shortage of affordable housing and the numerous Virginians who qualify for the federal housing voucher program, but can't receive it due to limited federal funding.
Disclosure: Virginia Poverty Law Center contributes to our fund for reporting on Civil Rights, Housing/Homelessness, Poverty Issues, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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Washingtonians are being squeezed out of the housing market, and some state lawmakers want to see significant changes to cities' zoning laws to ensure more people with low and middle incomes can afford a place to live.
Alex Freeman-Smith, phlebotomist at the University of Washington Medical Center-Northwest, and union delegate for Service Employees International Union 1199 NW, said many people struggle to live in the community they serve, because the hospital is located in an area surrounded by single-family homes where prices have skyrocketed.
"Some of my coworkers even have to drive as far as from two hours away just to make it to work," Freeman-Smith observed. "And of course, in the event of an emergency, having your emergency staff two hours away isn't really effective for health care."
A measure in the Washington Legislature would lift restrictions on building houses for more than one family, such as duplexes and triplexes. It has bipartisan sponsors. However, at a public hearing on the bill, a spokesman for the Association of Washington Cities expressed concerns infrastructure costs could be passed down to cities.
Anna Fahey, senior director of communications and campaigns at the Northwest-based think tank Sightline Institute, said zoning restrictions drive urban sprawl, which ultimately hurts the environment.
"Most of our cities are zoned, primarily or almost exclusively, for only one kind of housing," Fahey stressed. "The biggest, most expensive kind. It's the kind that fits a single, detached house that sits on a big lot."
The bill proposes up to four homes on a single residential lot would be allowed in cities with populations of 6,000 or greater, or if they are located within the urban growth areas of major cities, like Seattle. It would also allow up to six homes on lots within a half-mile of frequent public transit stops.
Fahey argued it would be a major win, especially for workers.
"They're modest in size and shape, and are going to be available for people near jobs and available at prices that are more affordable to more people," Fahey explained.
The Senate version of the bill is scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday.
Disclosure: The Sightline Institute contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Environment, Housing/Homelessness, Urban Planning/Transportation. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
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