VA awards more than 1.8 Million in grants to fight homelessness and improve transitional housing in greater Syracuse
PRESS RELEASE
August 26, 2021
Syracuse , NY — Department of Veterans Affairs will award 1,895,000 dollars in the form of two grants beginning September 30 to the Altamont Program, Inc. of Schenectady, NY, a community organization primarily focused on combating homelessness.
The grants are part of the VA’s Grant Per Diem Program and will be used to improve transitional housing and supportive services for Veterans in the Greater Syracuse area.
The program provides funding to community organizations that provide transitional housing and supportive services for Veterans experiencing homelessness, with the goal of helping them achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and income, and obtain greater self-determination.
“The Grant and Per Diem program is integral to VA’s continuum of services and resources to help Veterans exit homelessness,” said Dr. Frank Pearson, Syracuse VA Medical Center Director. “The newly awarded grants allow VA to continue to tailor transitional housing and case management services to the unique needs and circumstances of individual Veterans facing housing crises, which helps put them on the pathway to permanent housing faster.”
The GPD funding will support two different types of grants to address the unique needs of Veterans who are experiencing homelessness:
Capital Grants provide funding for community organizations through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020. The funding supports capital improvements to transitional housing facilities. The improvements result in less congregate and more individual unit style housing, thereby improving personal safety and reducing risks associated with close quarters living for Veterans.
Case Management Grants are used to support case manager positions within community organizations. These positions provide services to help Veterans retain housing stability, adequate income support and self-sufficiency.
The GPD program has provided community-based transitional housing and supportive services since 1994. The number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has declined by 50% since 2010 resulting from the GPD program and other VA efforts.