HUDSON COUNTY – In his 13th annual State of the County address, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise is expected to lay out the framework for a plan deal with the issue of homeless veterans.
“According to the best estimates we have from the Division of Housing and Community Development, the number of homeless veterans in Hudson County averages around 50 at one time depending on the season and economic conditions. About 100 homeless vets will come into contact with staff in course of a year,” DeGise said in his prepared speech to be delivered at a Feb. 12 meeting of the Hudson County freeholders. “They are usually among our chronic homeless population, meaning they tend to be male, older, and have been living on the streets for months or often years at a time. We have already pledged to eradicate chronic homelessness in Hudson County. It is a challenge that will likely take a decade to meet.”
But he asked the freeholders to work with him to help more immediate help for the veterans.
“We should pledge that any homeless veteran in Hudson County in need of housing will be able to find it,” he said. “Through the use of $5.5 million in HOME funds, we created twenty-four new, permanent, affordable housing units for homeless vets in two developments in Bayonne and Union City with local partners in the last three years. In the Union City development, project-based vouchers are provided by Continuum of Care funding. While this funding does not flow through the County, the Division is the collaborative applicant to HUD and coordinates the process.”
He called this real progress
“To better focus on the issue, we have created a Homeless Veterans Committee within the Hudson County Alliance to End Homelessness,” he said. “The mission of the committee is to better coordinate the existing services we offer and to assist in the development of new permanent housing solutions for veterans. “
Members of the committee include representatives from the cities of Jersey City and Hoboken, a staffer from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and various service providers in Hudson County. It is co-chaired by our Office of Veterans Affairs and Division of Housing and Community Development.
The committee’s first order of business is to develop a comprehensive resource guide for existing housing and services in Hudson County for veterans.
“It will also collaborate with existing shelter providers to maintain a master list of homeless veterans they come in contact with. This should allow us to more easily find and counsel them one-on-one so they can link with services and housing,” DeGise said. “Already the mayors of Jersey City, Bayonne, Harrison and Hoboken have signed on to The Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness launched by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. I’m confident that the remaining eight municipalities will sign on to “The Mayor’s Challenge.” We encourage them to do so. This will help us bring more resources and more attention to the issue in every community in Hudson County.”
DeGise to pledge campaign to end veteran homeless
