The new Veterans Affairs chief shares the goal set by former President Barack Obama's administration of ending homelessness among veterans, but says it'll take longer than his predecessor predicted.
Reducing the number of homeless veterans nationwide from roughly 40,000 to 10,000 or 15,000 is an ``achievable goal'' for President Donald Trump's administration, VA Secretary David Shulkin told The Associated Press during a visit to Rhode Island on Friday.
``This is a continuous problem of people finding themselves in economically difficult situations and then being out on the street or going from shelter to shelter,'' Shulkin said.
Homelessness among veterans has been effectively ended in Virginia, Connecticut and Delaware and in more than 40 communities. The outgoing head of the VA, Robert McDonald, said in January that ``we should be there'' nationwide within a couple of years.
Shulkin, who formerly was VA undersecretary of health under Obama, said on Friday, ``We're still looking at a multi-year process.''
While advocates are encouraged to hear Shulkin's commitment, some wish he was more ambitious.
``My personal take is, the VA secretary is being cautiously optimistic about what can be achieved and not wanting to kind of set the administration up for a missed goal,'' said Lisa Vukov, who works to prevent and end homelessness in the Omaha, Nebraska, metropolitan area. ``I'm a firm believer in setting your goals big because you achieve more that way.''
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said veteran homelessness can be ended during the Trump administration.
``There's no reason we can't achieve it if enough resources are dedicated to the fight,'' said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Shulkin said some veterans offered housing by the VA prefer other alternatives and high real estate prices and a shortage of available housing in some parts of the country make it hard to house veterans there. He sees the biggest challenge in Los Angeles.
Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti said homelessness in Los Angeles is a long-term crisis, but the city has housed more than 8,000 veterans since 2014 and he's fighting to ensure all veterans have a safe place to call home. Los Angeles voters approved a bond in November to raise $1.2 billion for up to 10,000 permanent units.
Navy veteran Chris N. Cardenas said there are some veterans who refuse help or have trouble accessing benefits because of mental illness or substance abuse issues, but 40,000 homeless veterans is far too many.
``That's a very high number,'' Cardenas said. ``It can get down to zero for the ones that want the help.''
Cardenas, 52, said he stopped working as a deliveryman in Santa Fe because of problems with his right knee in 2013 and became homeless after he used up his savings. He moved into an apartment in the Santa Fe area in 2016 with the help of a VA grant program and is now a student at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos.
``I'm at a loss for words because it's so great,'' he said. ``It makes you feel like a functioning person in society.''
To get homeless veterans into permanent homes, the Obama administration used a program that was created in 2008 and combines rental assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development with case management and clinical services from the VA, so-called HUD-VASH vouchers. Some areas of the country currently have a waiting list for a voucher, including Los Angeles.
While programs for helping homeless veterans received funding increases in fiscal 2017, there's less money for new HUD-VASH vouchers. There's $40 million available, compared to $60 million for new HUD-VASH vouchers in 2016 and $75 million in 2015, according to HUD.
``We urge the VA to prioritize finishing the job and I have absolute confidence the new secretary has that commitment,'' said Chris Ko, director of homeless initiatives for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. ``We need to see that commitment exercised in additional federal resources.''
Shulkin said he's committed to maintaining the voucher program and continuing strategies that are working, such as housing people first and then pointing them toward help to confront the root cause of their homelessness.
