Salt Lake City’s mayor announced a plan today to provide housing for the last few remaining homeless veterans. The announcement came as part of the annual Stand Down event at the V-A Medical Center. Mayor Ralph Becker says it’s taken federal, state and local agencies and private business to create this incredible outreach program.
“It disturbs me that we don’t recognize that the federal government is here to serve us and that this is a prime example of making a huge difference in the lives of the people in our community,” says Mayor Becker.
Kimber Parry of the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, known as HUD VASH, is the organizer of Stand Down. She says this Vietnam-era tradition seems to be drawing fewer chronically homeless vets these days and she sees that as a good thing.
“I’m hoping that this is a sign that we’ve been able to reach out and house those people that are homeless that we see year after year after year,” says Parry.
Darrel Stage is one of those vets getting help from the outreach program as one of the first residents of the Valor House, a partnership of the Housing Authority of Salt Lake and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Thanks to a lot of folks that I see around me, I stand before you just proud. I’m glad to be alive.”
The goal is to reach the 39 homeless veterans left on the streets of Salt Lake. That would match the goal set by V-A Secretary Eric Shinseki, who’s challenged each state to house 100 veterans in 100 days.
