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Success Stories Housing Authority Awarded Additional Funding to House Homeless Veterans Robert Lee served in the U.S. Marines in 1990’s and is proud of his service. After his military service, life got messier, scarier. A downward spiral led to a long battle with addiction, homelessness and finally, incarceration. However, the Veteran Assisted Supportive Housing program (VASH) – a program specifically tied to assisting homeless veterans—got Mr. Lee back on track. Now he’s living in a Riverside residence and working in a full-time job. And recently, Riverside County officials learned that they can now apply for additional housing vouchers that will help dozens more follow in Mr. Lee’s footsteps. The Riverside County Economic Development Agency’s Housing Authority has been invited by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to apply for an additional 68 housing vouchers to assist homeless veterans in Riverside County. The vouchers are funded through VASH), which is run jointly by HUD and the Veterans Administration (VA). VASH provides housing and stabilization services, and has been instrumental in dramatically reducing homelessness among veterans. The County of Riverside has been a pioneer in the national effort to end veteran homelessness. In November 2013, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a new program known as Veterans Assistance Legislation of Riverside County (VALOR), which committed County resources to addressing the needs of homeless and at-risk veterans. The VALOR initiative included the ambitious goal of housing all of the county’s homeless veterans, a multi-departmental effort led by EDA’s Housing Authority in conjunction with the County’s Department of Veterans Services, Department of Public Social Services, and Behavioral Health Department, as well as the VA’s Loma Linda Healthcare system. By 2017, the County had accomplished VALOR’s goal and became the first large county in the United States to achieve Functional Zero for veteran homelessness. A designation awarded by HUD, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the VA, Functional Zero is considered the highest achievement in overcoming homelessness within a community. The designation is awarded to communities that have identified and housed all known homeless veterans, and that have established a coordinated system to rapidly house any veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless. Robert Lee entered the VASH program with help from a VA Loma Linda social worker assigned to assist him. He also illustrated a strong commitment to his own recovery. Now with a stable housing arrangement, Lee was able to secure a job at the VA medical center, return to school and earn two associates degrees. He is now preparing to become a self-sufficient homeowner and turn his VASH voucher over to another veteran in need.

“The VASH program gave me the ability to be the dad I needed to be and provided security for my daughter to be more successful in life,” Mr. Lee said. “After the program helped me obtain housing, I found purpose. I wanted to be a productive member of society, and through the educational and career opportunities that the Housing Authority’s self-sufficiency program gave me, I’ve been able to do that.” Since VALOR’s kickoff in 2013, the County of Riverside has housedmore than 1,600 homeless veterans, including 938 veterans directly housed by the Housing Authority’s in-house homeless outreach team. EDA’s Housing Authority has also worked to develop new affordable housing earmarked for veterans. This effort has led to several new housing developments, including March Veterans Village at March Air Reserve Base, Camp Anza in the City of Riverside, and several new projects still in the development phase. “The County of Riverside is proud to be a national model and leader in ending homelessness amongst our large veteran population,” said Assistant County Executive Officer Robert Field, who oversees the County’s Economic and Community Development programs. “It is critical that we remember that behind the numbers are very personal stories of veterans overcoming homelessness and other obstacles.” The additional 68 VASH vouchers will ensure that EDA’s Housing Authority has additional resources to continue its fight against veteran homelessness, a fight it intends to expand to all homeless people in Riverside County. “It is now time to turn our knowledge and experience in housing homeless veterans to tackling homelessness for non-veterans,” noted EDAManaging Director Heidi Marshall. “That is our next goal, and we look forward to achieving the same success.”

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