SHAHEEN, KUSTER ANNOUNCE $1 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO HARBOR HOMES TO HELP END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

NASHUA, N.H. – Today, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) announced that Harbor Homes will receive a $1 million grant to help keep hundreds of local veterans in their homes and off the streets. The funding, administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), is part of the agency’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families program (SSVF), which helps local non-profit organizations to prevent at-risk veterans from becoming homeless and to secure housing for those who have recently lost their homes.

The funding, which supplements a similar grant Harbor Homes received in the summer of 2012, will allow the organization to provide financial assistance to more than 300 veterans and their families, helping them to cover rent, utility payments and other living costs. Shaheen and Kuster have both been strong supporters of Harbor Homes, and Shaheen sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki in October 2012 in support of their grant application.

“Harbor Homes offers crucial services to homeless veterans in the Nashua area, strengthening our commitment to supporting those who have sacrificed to protect our country,” Shaheen said. “The organization’s strong connections to veterans service providers and terrific record of assisting our state’s homeless community makes Harbor Homes a terrific recipient of this grant. Harbor Homes has made an impact on the lives of so many Granite State veterans, and I’m glad that they will have the opportunity to help so many more.”

“This funding will go a long ways toward ending veteran homelessness in New Hampshire,” Kuster said. “Our veterans have given so much to keep our country safe. They should never have to live in fear of losing their homes.”

“We are thrilled to once again offer up to 300 low-income veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless with access to immediate assistance, including short-term financial help, case management, and much more," said Peter Kelleher, President and CEO of Harbor Homes and the Partnership for Successful Living.

According to the Government Accountability Office, between 423 and 600 homeless veteran households are located in New Hampshire and a further 7,175 such households in our state are at risk of homelessness.  New Hampshire also has the third highest percentage in the nation of low-income veteran renter households with moderate to severe housing affordability problems. 

Harbor Homes is one of 319 agencies nationwide to receive grant funding under SSVF. In total, the grants amount to nearly $300 million and will help 120,000 veterans and their families around the country.

Under the program, Southwestern Community Services in Keene will receive more than $263,000 to help approximately 55 veterans and their families in western New Hampshire.

SSVF grants are part of DVA’s homeless Veterans initiative, which committed more than $1 billion to help end homelessness among veterans in Fiscal Year 2013. Additional information about SSVF is available here.