VA grant to help fight homelessness

A local nonprofit has received a
$1 million grant from Veterans Affairs to help prevent homelessness among local veterans and their families.

The Las Vegas Urban League will use the grant to provide outreach, case management and other support services to help homeless vets and those at risk of homelessness. The money also may provide temporary financial assistance.

The program should be up and running by Oct. 17, Urban League officials said.

The number of homeless veterans in the Las Vegas Valley has decreased by more than 40 percent — from 2,262 to 1,350 since 2009 — according to a large-scale January homeless count.

Homeless service providers attribute the decrease, which mirrors a national trend, largely to the Obama administration’s dedicating more funds to combating homelessness among veterans.

Nationally, the number of homeless veterans has decreased from 150,000 to 75,000, according to Veterans Affairs.

The Urban League is partnering with Lutheran Social Services of Nevada on the local program. For more information, call the Urban League at 636-3949 or Lutheran Social Services at 639-1730.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com.