Millions in grants awarded to organizations in Maryland to aid in curbing veteran homelessness

BALTIMORE, Md., June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Hundreds of very low-income veteran families in the Baltimore metro area and on Maryland's Eastern Shore who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless, will have access to crucial services from local organizations via grants provided by the VA Maryland Health Care System's Supportive Services for Veteran Families program.

Three organizations in the Baltimore metro area?Alliance, Inc., Project PLASE, Inc, and New Vision of Hope, Inc. ? and two organizations on the Eastern Shore ? Diakonia, Inc. and St. James A.M. E. Zion Church-Zion House ? received grants totaling more than $5 million. A list of grantees is available at http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp. More than 260 organizations nationwide received SSVF grants.

"Supportive Services for Veteran Families is a key tool to promote housing stability among our most economically vulnerable veterans and their families," said Jonathan R. Eckman, PE, director of the VA Maryland Health Care System. "This program empowers our community-based partners to provide the mix of services needed to prevent veterans from becoming homeless and rapidly re-house those who become homeless."

Organizations that received awards include the following:

• Alliance, Inc. received $2.2 million to provide a continuum of care for veterans with mental health needs in Central and Western Maryland;
• Project PLACE, Inc, received $1.8 million to serve veterans in Baltimore City and Baltimore County;
• New Vision House of Hope Inc. received more than $837,000 to serve veterans in Baltimore City;
• Diakonia, Inc., on the Eastern Shore, received more than $282,000 to serve veterans in Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties;
• St. James A.M.E. Zion Church-Zion House, on the Eastern Shore, received more than $399,000 to serve veterans in Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties.

Nationally, SSVF served 112,070 participants, including 77,590 veterans and 19,919 children in FY 2020. As a result of these and other efforts, veteran homelessness is down significantly since the launch of the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in 2010.

The SSVF program is authorized by Congress. The funding will support SSVF services from October 1, 2021, until September 30, 2022.

Learn more about the SSVF program.

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The VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) provides a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, rehabilitative, mental health and outpatient care to veterans at three medical centers and five outpatient clinics located throughout the state. More than 52,000 veterans from various generations receive care from VAMHCS annually. Nationally recognized for its state-of-the-art technology and quality patient care, VAMHCS is proud of its reputation as a leader in veterans' health care, research and education. It costs nothing for veterans to enroll for health care with the VA Maryland Health Care System and it could be one of the more important things a veteran can do. To enroll for VA health care, interested veterans can call 877-222-8387 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or they can visit http://www.va.gov and clinic on "Apply now for VA health care."

Media Contact

Rosalia Scalia, VA Maryland Health Care, 410-605-7464, [email protected]

SOURCE VA Maryland Health Care