Shelters for CT’s homeless veterans say VA is icing them out of funding
Shelters say the Veterans Administration is defying a new law giving them more funding for homeless vets. The VA says it's housing a record number of veterans.
Connecticut’s estimated 174 homeless veterans are struggling in these icy temperatures.
Shelters were supposed to get a lot more money this year under a new federal law, but they claim that the Veterans Administration is leaving them out in the cold.
HOMELESS VETS
Terry Waite served his country in the Army, Navy and National Guard. But two years ago, he found himself with no place to live.
“I never expected to be homeless,” he said. “You know, just the way it snowballed and happened is amazing to me.”
Waite landed at Harkness House, a shelter for homeless vets in New Haven. Shelters like it were set to set to see significant funding increases from the VA’s Grant and Per Diem Program, which helps community agencies provide transitional housing – and eventually find vets a permanent home. GPD also pays for job training.
“A safe place to stay, meals, clothing and other necessities, peer support, and case management to veterans,” said Theresa Nicholson, executive director of Hartford’s South Park Inn, which serves 40 veterans.
But Connecticut shelters accuse the VA of shortchanging them as their costs keep rising.
“Food is up 25%, increases for keeping the place heated, keeping it warm,” Nicholson said. “As our prices rise, our funding has remained flat or increases slightly. It’s nowhere near enough.”
NEW LAW, MORE MONEY?
The Elizabeth Dole Veterans Act doubled reimbursements for shelters serving high-cost areas and high-risk vets. To help pay for it, Congress approved additional funding under the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act.
The Dole Act passed by wide bipartisan margins during the final weeks of the Biden administration.
“There is no better way to close out the Congress than to pass a good bill for veterans and their families,” said House Veterans Affairs Chair Mike Bost (R-Illinois). “We worked hard to craft this legislation to put veterans – not government bureaucracy – at the core of it.”
But nearly a year later, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the Veterans Administration is not fully complying with the law.
“The VA is failing. It is falling far short of the rates that are directed by the Congress,” said Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We authorized the money. We directed the VA to increase reimbursement.”
In a recent letter, Blumenthal and his House counterpart asked VA Secretary Doug Collins to increase rates by this Friday, when temperatures dipped down to single digits in parts of Connecticut.
“We’re going through some of the coldest weather we’ve seen so far this year and this winter, and it’s only going to get worse,” Blumenthal told reporters.
Blumenthal said that 74 groups operating nearly 1,000 beds have left the GPD program citing unsustainable funding in the face of rising costs.
VA DODGES QUESTIONS
The Veterans Administration would not answer questions about whether the agency is disregarding the law.
Instead, spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz issued a statement saying, “Under the leadership of President Trump, VA recently housed the largest number of homeless Veterans in seven years. This is life-changing and in many cases life-saving work. We are proud of the progress VA is making to get Veterans off the streets, and we will respond to Sen. Blumenthal’s letter directly.”
The VA also noted its Getting Veterans Off the Street initiative, in which every VA health care system across the country hosted dedicated outreach surge events to locate unsheltered veterans and offer them immediate access to housing programs, health care, behavioral health services and VA benefits.
Waite is one of the lucky ones. He moved into his own apartment this year – with help from Harkness House.
“It means a lot to have people that are willing to help,” he said.
But advocates said, without the funding Congress provided, vets like Waite will fall through the cracks and stay on the streets.
IF YOU NEED HELP
Email the Connecticut VA’s Homeless Veterans Care Coordinator HERE
Call 211
Call Connecticut Veterans Affairs at 860-616-3600
