America’s homeless veterans

September 14, 2015

In Sacramento, California, veterans homeless for years finally find hope

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America’s homeless veterans

The notion that one homeless veteran is one too many is why President Barack Obama launched a plan in 2010 to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Largely funded by the Department of Veteran Affairs, it's a $7 billion initiative that partners community groups with government agencies. It uses aggressive outreach and what's called the housing first model — that's the idea of giving permanent housing to the homeless, with no strings attached. It's already helped bring the total numbers of homeless veterans nationwide down 33 percent. Jessica Wang travelled to Sacramento, California, to hear the stories of homeless vets and the people who are helping.


 

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