East Bay Non-Profits Receive $1 Million for ‘Every Veteran Home’ Program

The Veterans Administration recently recognized a group of four East Bay non-profits for their efforts to re-house homeless veterans.

Last week, the Alameda County Coalition for Veteran Families, comprised of four organizations that offer housing and support services in Alameda County, was awarded a $1 million grant for their Every Veteran Home program.

The coalition is led by Fremont-based , which has served the Tri-Cities and beyond for 22 years. Other coalition members include the San Leandro-based Building Futures with Women and Children, which specializes in housing and services dedicated to family violence prevention and mental health support; Oakland-based Operation Dignity, a veteran-specific housing and service provider; and Berkeley’s LifeLong Medical Care, which operates several health centers and housing sites.

Together, the coalition partners will use their resources to provide veteran families with housing and a variety of services, including rent and deposit assistance, case management and health care.

According to Abode Services Director of Housing Vivian Wan, there are about 500 homeless veterans in the county.

“This grant from the VA will be a tremendous step toward ensuring that these veterans and their families can access the services they need to avoid or leave homelessness,” Wan said. “‘Every Veteran Home’ isn’t just the name the coalition chose for the program – it’s our vision, too.”

The grant was one of 85 awards, totaling $60 million, made by the VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program to non-profits nationwide. The grant initiative is a part of the VA’s plan to end homelessness among veterans in five years.

In 2009, the VA estimated that there were 107,000 homeless veterans in the U.S. on any given night.