Long Branch Gets $107K To Help Homeless Veterans Find Housing

LONG BRANCH, NJ — The Long Branch Housing Authority received $107,057 to alleviate veteran homelessness. The funding comes from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HUD's Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Program helps homeless veterans obtain affordable housing in the private sector.

The VASH Program targets chronically homeless veterans who often undergo mental or physical health issues, substance use disorders, frequent emergency room visits, multiple treatment attempts and limited access to other social support. However, other homeless veterans may be eligible for the program, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It is our country’s duty to care for our servicemembers when they return home. No one who served our country should live on the streets," Congressman Frank Pallone said in a statement. "This award will go a long way to making sure that veterans in Long Branch have a place they can call home."

The Long Branch Housing Authority is Monmouth County's largest housing authority. It operates, manages and maintains 10 housing development sites.

About 9 percent of homeless adults in the United States are veterans, according to a United States Interagency Council on Homelessness report from June 2018.

But the nationwide number of homeless veterans has decreased since 2011, according to the HUD. The number of homeless veterans has dropped by 43.3 percent since 2011.

The HUD said 37,085 veterans experienced homelessness at least one night of January 2019 — a 2.1 percent decrease since January 2018. According to the HUD, 22,740 of those veterans were sheltered.

“We believe that veterans who have served our nation to keep us free and safe deserve the extra efforts to ensure that they are not homeless," said Carl Jennings, chairman of the LBHA Board.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Long Branch-Eatontown Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.