Feature Story

March 25, 2009

Preventing Veteran Homelessness

The Urban Institute:

To listen to the audio webcast, register at http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=57158.

Panelists:
• Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy, National Alliance to End Homelessness
• Mary Cunningham, senior research associate, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute
• Paul Smits, associate chief consultant, homeless and residential programs, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Christopher Swope, managing editor, Governing magazine (moderator)
• Vanessa Williamson, policy director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Nearly 154,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Another half million are at risk of homelessness because rent consumes more than half their income.

In his run for the White House, President Obama pledged to deliver on a zero-tolerance policy for veteran homelessness. But for low-income veterans who fall in between homelessness and homeownership, there is little to help them afford rental housing. That lack of affordable housing, research shows, is the primary driver of homelessness for veterans and civilians alike.

Join us as a panel of experts tackles such questions as
• What works best for preventing homelessness among veterans?
• What is the need for affordable housing among low-income veterans? How are veterans back from Iraq and Afghanistan faring?
• What would a housing program for them look like? How much would it cost?
• Should such a program be administered by VA or the Department of Housing and Urban Development?
• Should there be a housing program just for low-income veterans?

At the Urban Institute
2100 M Street N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.
Lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m. The forum begins promptly at noon.