Murray Applauds New Federal Housing Vouchers for Homeless Veterans in Washington State
A total of 240 housing vouchers will help veterans across the state
Marks the latest round of vouchers from program Murray helped restart in 2008
Murray: “Each one of these vouchers represents a step toward finding a permanent home for a veteran who served our country, but is struggling to find stable housing”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 20, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of both the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, applauded Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro’s announcement of new resources to help homeless veterans secure stable housing. Washington state will receive 240 housing vouchers that will be distributed among thirteen different housing authorities across the state. These include both tenant-based vouchers, which are used to cover rent in private housing, as well as project-based vouchers, which are attached to specific units of housing. Washington state will receive over $1.5 million of the almost $65 million total grants to offer permanent supportive housing opportunities to veterans experiencing homelessness.
The vouchers are part of the joint Department of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH program), a program Murray helped restart in 2008 and which she has continued to help fund every year since. Through the program, homeless veterans receive vouchers through HUD and case management and services through the VA.
“There is no more solemn promise we make as a nation than our commitment to care for the men and women who have served in the United States military, and it is great news that so many homeless veterans in Washington state will benefit from these resources” said Senator Patty Murray. “I’m pleased to see such strong support for a program I’ve been proud to fight for on behalf of Washington state veterans. Each one of these vouchers represents a step toward finding a permanent home for a veteran who served our country, but is struggling to find stable housing. We owe it to our veterans to support them and make sure they have the resources they need to find high quality health care, a stable job, and a stable home. We are moving in the right direction with the HUD-VASH program in fixing some of the challenges our veterans face—but the work is far from over.”
With the assistance of HUD-VASH, veteran homelessness in the United States has declined 33 percent since 2010. In October 2014, Murray announced an additional 335 housing vouchers for Washington state veterans.
See a breakdown of voucher allocation below (totals include both tenant-based and project-based vouchers):
| Public Housing Authority | VA Medical Center | Vouchers | Amount |
| Seattle Housing Authority | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/Seattle Campus | 44 | $297,333.00 |
| King County Housing Authority | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/Seattle Campus | 80 | $609,888.00 |
| Housing Authority of the City of Bremerton | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/Bremerton Community-Based Outpatient Clinic | 7 | $40,546.00 |
| City of Tacoma | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/American Lake Division | 9 | $53,464.00 |
| Housing Authority of the City of Longview | Portland VA Medical Center/Vancouver Campus | 5 | $23,488.00 |
| Housing Authority of Vancouver | Portland VA Medical Center/Vancouver Campus | 8 | $41,217.00 |
| Housing Authority of Island County | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/Mt Vernon Community-Based Outpatient Clinic | 14 | $98,216.00 |
| Housing Authority of Snohomish County | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/Seattle Division | 12 | $92,910.00 |
| Housing Authority of the City of Yakima | Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial (Walla Walla) VAMC/Yakima Community-Based Outpatient Clinic | 8 | $34,795.00 |
| Pierce County Housing Authority | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/American Lake Division | 20 | $120,917.00 |
| Housing Authority of the City of Spokane | Spokane VA Medical Center (Mann-Grandstaff) | 14 | $59,074.00 |
| Housing Authority of the City of Walla Walla | Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial (Walla Walla) VAMC/Richland Community-Based Outpatient Clinic | 12 | $49,687.00 |
| Housing Authority of Skagit County | VA Puget Sound Health Care System/Mt Vernon Community-Based Outpatient Clinic | 7 | $41,236.00 |
