Veterans One-stop Center of WNY, Homeless Alliance of WNY, and VA Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program, and Western New York Housing Coalition are pleased to announce the continued success of connecting homeless veterans and veterans at risk of being homeless to shelter.
Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Annual Homeless Assessment Report finds the total number of reported veterans experiencing homelessness in 2018 decreased 5.4 percent since last year, falling to nearly half the number of homeless veterans reported in 2010; down 12 percent from last year in Western New York (WNY). In October 2016, the WNY community to include Mayors of the Cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda, and Lockport announced the ending of veteran homelessness in response to the Former First Lady’s call to action through the Mayors Challenge ending veteran homelessness. WNY agencies can offer immediate placement in to shelter or transitional housing and housed within 90 days of accepting assistance. The HUD report is fresh evidence that the work underway by the community partners to prevent and end homelessness among veterans is producing the intended results.
"We've effectively ended veteran homelessness," Kristen Weese, Program Manager of the VA Healthcare System's Homeless Program, said. "That does not mean there aren't homeless veterans on the street. What it means is that we have the infrastructure and community relationships to quickly house a homeless veteran. We completed that mission in 2016 but we continue to make great progress to reduce the number of homeless veterans."