The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) will soon make housing available to 45 more homeless veterans in the St. Petersburg area. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded the additional Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers to SPHA, bringing the total count of vouchers in this program to 275.With these special vouchers, veterans are able to rent private sector housing in St. Petersburg, contingent on their motivation to continue treatment and improve their individual circumstances. The 45 new HUD-VASH vouchers are worth $272,587 in federal funding per year. In the past 12 months alone, SPHA put more than $1.3 million into the local economy through this joint housing program.
SPHA Chief Executive Officer Darrell Irions said, “As a former Marine, it’s very important to me personally that we take care of our military veterans. The HUD-VASH vouchers offer a holistic approach to housing homeless veterans. In addition to providing them with a roof over their heads, the program makes available the services and treatment that these veterans need to truly regain their lives.”
Nationally, the HUD‐VASH vouchers have been allocated to public housing agencies across the country based on a variety of factors, including the number of reported homeless veterans and the proximity of a local Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) with the capacity to provide case management. A homelessness study conducted for Pinellas County in 2013 revealed that veterans make up almost 20 percent of the county’s homeless population.
SPHA works closely with the Bay Pines VAMC, who is responsible for identifying veterans for potential participation in the HUD-VASH program. SPHA then determines the income eligibility for each veteran in accordance with HUD regulations for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, before issuing the special vouchers. Veterans in the HUD-VASH program are also required to work with Bay Pines case managers for individualized treatment programs, with the goal of helping them attain self-sufficiency.
For more information about this program and its eligibility requirements, please contact Bay Pine’s VASH Coordinators at 727-398-6661.
SPHA Chief Executive Officer Darrell Irions said, “As a former Marine, it’s very important to me personally that we take care of our military veterans. The HUD-VASH vouchers offer a holistic approach to housing homeless veterans. In addition to providing them with a roof over their heads, the program makes available the services and treatment that these veterans need to truly regain their lives.”
Nationally, the HUD‐VASH vouchers have been allocated to public housing agencies across the country based on a variety of factors, including the number of reported homeless veterans and the proximity of a local Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) with the capacity to provide case management. A homelessness study conducted for Pinellas County in 2013 revealed that veterans make up almost 20 percent of the county’s homeless population.
SPHA works closely with the Bay Pines VAMC, who is responsible for identifying veterans for potential participation in the HUD-VASH program. SPHA then determines the income eligibility for each veteran in accordance with HUD regulations for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, before issuing the special vouchers. Veterans in the HUD-VASH program are also required to work with Bay Pines case managers for individualized treatment programs, with the goal of helping them attain self-sufficiency.
For more information about this program and its eligibility requirements, please contact Bay Pine’s VASH Coordinators at 727-398-6661.