Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard is asking landlords in the community to accept special rental vouchers when approached by veterans seeking a place to rent. The Vancouver Housing Authority (VHA) has received 70 special vouchers from the joint HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program to help homeless veterans and their families in Clark County. The HUD-VASH collaboration pairs housing choice vouchers for veterans with Veterans Affairs case management and supportive services.
"Veterans have served our country and we now have an opportunity to offer the veterans our hand of support," said Pollard.
Landlords can further show their support of veterans by waiving move-in deposits, which is a major obstacle for homeless veterans. Landlords with rents that exceed VHA standards could also reduce the rents for the veterans participating in the program. Seventy landlords designating one unit for the program would help to fully use the 70 vouchers.
As part of the VHA's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, veterans can choose their own housing in the private rental market. Landlords benefit by participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program. It broadens the field of potential renters and, rental payments from the VHA are predictable and reliable.
Landlords interested in learning more about the program and how they can participate should contact Pat Murray at the VHA at (360) 993-9543 or by email at pmurray@vhausa.com. Veterans experiencing homelessness can learn more about the program by contacting Eileen Devine with Veterans Affairs at (5030 220-8262 ext. 54239 or by email at eileen.devine@va.gov. To quality, veterans must be eligible for VA services, meet income guidelines and be willing to receive case management services from the Vancouver Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
A 2007 study indicates there are approximately 1,900 homeless veterans living in the Vancouver Portland area. Through the HUD-VASH program, public housing authorities across the country provide permanent supportive housing and dedicated VA case managers for an estimated 10,000 homeless veterans.
The Vancouver Housing Authority administers more than 2,100 Housing Choice Vouchers (including the 70 VASH vouchers) and 575 units of low-rent public housing, serving more than 7,500 people in its housing subsidy programs. The VHA serves an additional 5,000 people through other affordable housing programs and properties. In total, the VHA houses more than 12,500 people in Clark County.
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