SAN FRANCISCO—Mayor Gavin Newsom, alongside Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Philip Mangano, reported last week that new federal funding would go towards the San Francisco Housing Authority in order to help homeless veterans find housing.

"Every veteran deserves a home that he or she can afford," stated the mayor. "This funding will serve a vital need by making sure veterans have an affordable place to live, with the support services they need to live independently."

The San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) will receive $1.5 million in the form of 105 vouchers. The award is part of a larger amount of $75 million announced nationally for the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH), which provides permanent housing grants and case management services to homeless veterans who suffer from mental and addictive illnesses.

The funding will be distributed in shares as the Housing Authority will lease units to veterans. The award will pay for housing support and management fees to administer the vouchers given to the homeless.

The San Francisco VA Medical Center, which has been working on the selection and placement process, will identify candidates and determine their eligibility to receive housing assistance.

After the selection process, veterans will be referred to the Housing Authority and begin the necessary steps to find and lease a unit.

"It is important for the San Francisco Housing Authority to serve those who have served this country," stated Henry A. Alvarez III, executive director of the San Francisco Housing Authority. "The funds awarded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development will allow us to focus, care and provide vital services to our veterans. Service veterans who have been through so much deserve to have the most basic necessity–a place to call home."

According to present national statistics, between 20 percent and 33 percent of homeless people are veterans. In San Francisco, an estimated 20 percent of the 6,377 homeless are veterans.