CRESTVIEW — Ten local veterans won't have to worry about homelessness.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded $60,331 to the local HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
Under the HUD-VASH initiative, the Crestview Housing Authority works with the VA to house homeless veterans.
"It is a collaboration nationally with the VA and HUD, and it gets down to the local level," said Eric Oleson, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System's Biloxi-based homeless veteran program manager. The system serves eligible veterans in the Florida Panhandle, and in the Mobile, Ala., and Biloxi areas.
Under Crestview's HUD-VASH program, "We could house 10 more veterans (individuals or families)" with the approved funding, Lynda Carmical, CHA's senior housing manager, said.
That's a boost compared to the CHA's last HUD-VASH award, which in 2012 covered 15 households, she said.
Veterans can rent a home within 10 miles of the Crestview jurisdiction, she said.
Here's how the program works:
•Interested veterans apply to the VA to qualify for a voucher, which pays a portion or all of their rent, depending on income.
In addition, Oleson said, "We do outreach at food pantries, camps (and) shelters on a weekly basis. If someone says they're a veteran, we will verify that, do the assessment and, if they're not enrolled in health care at the VA, we will get them enrolled."
•The VA checks the applicant's income. "If you make more than $1,500 a month (in a one-person household) you would not be eligible for HUD-VASH," Oleson said. "That's gonna go up if you're married, if you have children — it's gonna slightly go up."
•The VA checks the applicant's criminal history. Sex offenders are not eligible for the program.
•The VA prioritizes the case. Combat veterans, families and disabled veterans are among top priorities, Oleson said.
In addition: "Are they chronically homeless?" he said. "That's someone who's been living on the street, in a shelter, in and out of housing, never had a permanent address; they're living in the car or woods for one year, consecutively, or they have four episodes in three years."
•Voucher recipients pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.
•Social workers help voucher recipients stay in their housing. That means assisting veterans with obtaining Social Security and disability benefits, or helping them find jobs.
"I think it's a wonderful program for veterans," Carmical said. "It's a great thing to see families get housed."
In addition to the Crestview program's allocation, federal funding will benefit HUD-VASH programs in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania, according to a media release.
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NEED HELP?
Homeless veterans who need help paying for rental housing under the HUD-VASH program can call 609-2604
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Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article included some incorrect information. The Okaloosa County Veterans Center is in Shalimar. The only outpatient clinic is just outside the Eglin west gate. The Okaloosa County Vet Center is a federal VA facility, but it’s not part of the VA's health care system nor is it considered a medical facility.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's veterans housing program gets $60K boost