$3.1 Million in grants awarded to organizations in South Central Pennsylvania to aid ending Veteran homelessness
PRESS RELEASE
July 13, 2021
Lebanon , PA — Low-income Veterans and their families in South Central Pennsylvania, who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless, will have access to crucial services from local organizations via grants provided by Lebanon VA Medical Center’s (VAMC) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.
Locally, five organizations in nine counties around Lebanon VAMC received grants totaling $3,117,820. This year, the Lebanon VAMC Health Care for Homeless Veteran staff have helped provide services to Veteran families including: eviction prevention, housing security deposits, utility assistance and hotel placements during the pandemic. A list of grantees is available at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp. More than 260 organizations nationwide received SSVF grants.
“Supportive Services for Veteran Families is a key tool to promote housing stability among our most economically vulnerable Veterans and their families,” said Robert W. Callahan, Jr., Director and CEO of Lebanon VAMC. “This program empowers our community-based partners to provide the mix of services needed to prevent Veterans from becoming homeless or rapidly re-house those who become homeless.”
Nationally, SSVF served 112,070 participants, including 77,590 Veterans and 19,919 children in 2020. As a result of these and other efforts, Veteran homelessness is down significantly since the launch of the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in 2010.
The SSVF program is authorized by Congress. The funding will support SSVF services from October 1, 2021 until September 30, 2022.
Learn more about the SSVF program.
Lebanon VA Medical Center is one of 170 medical centers in the nation with the sole purpose of providing world-class medical care to America’s Veterans. Lebanon VAMC serves a nine-county area in South Central Pennsylvania covering Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Schuylkill, and York counties. Lebanon VAMC also currently oversees community clinics located in Lancaster, Mechanicsburg, Pottsville, Wyomissing, York and Fort Indiantown Gap. If you are a Veteran, you may be eligible to receive care and benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more, call 717-272-6621, ext. 6000.