CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Keene takes federal pledge to end veteran homelessness

Keene Sentinel - 9/1/2020

Sep. 1--More than 100 veterans in New Hampshire were living in an emergency shelter or transitional housing as of January 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD data also show seven more were unsheltered at that time.

Keene Mayor George Hansel said those numbers encouraged him to join a nonbinding national initiative in an effort to end veteran homelessness in the city.

Hansel officially signed on to the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness on Aug. 26, during a visit to Keene from David Tille, HUD's regional administrator for New England. City Manager Elizabeth Dragon and members of the City Council were also present for the announcement.

Introduced by the Obama administration in June 2014, the Mayors Challenge is a symbolic pledge by municipalities to eliminate homelessness among military veterans. Joining the initiative does not give Keene access to additional federal aid, according to HUD Public Affairs Officer Rhonda Siciliano.

However, it provides the city with a set of tangible benchmarks -- established by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and HUD -- for achieving an end to veteran homelessness.

The Mayors Challenge benchmarks include eliminating chronic and long-term homelessness among veterans and ensuring that displaced veterans have quick access to permanent housing, in addition to other criteria.

By that definition, 78 communities nationwide, as well as the states of Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia, have ended veteran homelessness, according to USICH.

Hansel said he is not aware of any veterans in Keene who have experienced homelessness. Nonetheless, he hopes that joining the Mayors Challenge will publicize the resources available for veterans who are, or become, displaced and will also commit City Hall staff to addressing the issue further.

"If we can reach one veteran who finds themself in a homeless situation and help connect them with the programs that get them stable housing, it's worth signing on with this initiative," Hansel said Monday.

Hansel pointed to Keene's$225 tax credit for veterans as evidence of its commitment to supporting former service members. He encouraged veterans experiencing homelessness to contact the city's Human Services Department and the state's 211 resource hotline for assistance.

Hansel said he does not know whether the city will offer any additional resources as part of its commitment under the Mayors Challenge. He plans to discuss the issue with staff in the Human Services Department.

He said he first spoke with Tille about the possibility of joining the Mayors Challenge during a previous visit from the regional administrator, on Aug. 4 -- a decision which the mayor called a "no-brainer" at the time.

"I want to congratulate and thank Mayor Hansel, City Manager Dragon and members of the Keene City Council for their unified support for our veterans," Tille said in an email on Monday. "The leadership being shown in Keene and in communities across our state is key to helping us cross the finish line in achieving our goal of ending veteran homelessness in its entirety here in New Hampshire."

WMUR reported last year that New Hampshire had experienced a 21 percent decrease in documented cases of veteran homelessness from 2018.

The city of Nashua announced in March 2017 that it had effectively ended veteran homelessness. Several other Granite State communities have joined the Mayors Challenge, including Concord, Franklin and Lebanon.

Kristin Pressly, a public affairs officer for the VA health care system based in Manchester, encouraged veterans experiencing homelessness to call 877-424-3838 to speak with a counselor at the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans.

Caleb Symons can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1420, or csymons@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @CalebSymonsKS.

___

(c)2020 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)

Visit The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.) at www.sentinelsource.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.