Capital New York reports that East Harlem City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced a $940,000 initiative on Thursday to support veteran homeless prevention, job placement, legal and mental health services.
In an announcement at the Project Renewal homeless men shelter in Lower Manhattan, Mark-Viverito said the Veterans Services Initiative, which is included in the city’s budget for Fiscal Year 2016, will fund nonprofits citywide that work with veterans and will help meet the administration’s goal of ending veteran homelessness by the end of the year.
“The Veterans Services Initiative will increase access and opportunities for veterans on issues including health, education, employment, and building strong communities while providing guidance into family law, housing, public benefits, healthcare and home care, financial planning, and consumer protection,” she said.
According to the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs, the city is home to 225,000 veterans. A recent survey found that at least 70 percent cited finding employment as their biggest challenge, and in 2013 the Food Bank of NYC reported that 70,000 veterans in the city — or 30 percent of the veteran population — relied on soup kitchens and food pantries for their meals.
In his first State of the City speech, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to end veteran homelessness by the end of this year, and MOVA commissioner Loree Sutton said the administration is close to meeting its goal.
… the last two years, the city has reduced the number of homeless veterans by 70 percent
Sutton said that in the last two years, the city has reduced the number of homeless veterans by 70 percent.
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