Number of Homeless Vets Dropping

Significant decrease in Alaska

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By CBS 11 News
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Story Created: Dec 14, 2011 at 9:30 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Dec 14, 2011 at 9:30 AM AKDT

The number of U.S. veterans without a place to live is dropping.

The Veteran’s Administration says between 2007 and 2011, the number of homeless former troops without permanent housing is down by a third.

The numbers in Alaska are even more encouraging.

Local VA officials say during that same time, Alaska’s chronic homeless veteran population has dropped by almost half – 49 percent.

A big reason could be the increasing number of housing vouchers being offered through a program with the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and Housing and Urban Development. Three years ago, the agency only gave out 25 vouchers for Alaska.

“Today we have 120 vouchers and most of those vouchers are in play; they are actually providing housing with those vouchers,” said John Pendrey of the VA’s Homeless Healthcare.

HUD announced today it was adding another 25 housing vouchers for use in Alaska, bringing the total to 145.

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