Sup. Lawson-Remer enlists help from Congress to connect more homeless veterans to housing
Article by Blake Nelson | Read full article in the San Diego Union-Tribune
Four members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation are asking the local Veterans Affairs office to issue more housing vouchers amid a rise in homelessness among people who served in the military.
The request comes after The San Diego Union-Tribune published data showing that hundreds of vouchers failed to reach those who needed them in recent years.
We “must ensure that no vouchers go unused,” wrote U.S. Democratic Reps. Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs.
Local officials previously cited a number of bottlenecks in the system, including the region’s tough rental market.
The letter asked how many veterans have applied for, but not yet received, a voucher and for the average amount of time it takes someone to find housing after being accepted by the program, among other questions.
“We are doing everything possible to remove the barriers,” County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said in a statement.