Six Colorado housing agencies will receive $412,668 to help veterans and their families access affordable housing, according to U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s office.
The money comes from a $60 million pool run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmentap Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. Each housing agency receiving funding is partnered with a VA medical facility.
Those partnerships receiving money are:
- Aurora Housing Authority and Eastern Colorado Health Care System: $96,660
- Fort Collins Housing Authority and Cheyenne VA Medical Center: $69,600
- Denver Housing Authority and Eastern Colorado Health Care System: $66,240
- Colorado Division of Housing and Eastern Colorado Health Care System: $65,280
- Housing Authority of the city of Pueblo and both Eastern Colorado Health Care System and Pueblo Community-based Outpatient Clinic: $48,840
- Grand Junction Housing Authority and Grand Junction VA Medical Center: $33,408
- Colorado Division of Housing and both New Mexico Health Care System and Durango Community-based Outpatient Clinic: $32,640
With its two allocations combined, the Colorado Division of Housing will receive $97,920, the most of any agency in the state.
Nationwide, nearly $38 million was allocated to assist 5,269 homeless veterans, according to a HUD news release. Spokesman Brian Sullivan said there is approximately $22.4 million left in this year’s budget. He anticipates that money will serve an additional 2,700 homeless veterans.
Last year, $64.8 million was allocated for 9,333 vouchers. Of that total, agencies in , or 0.9 percent, according to a HUD document.
The money last year was split among the Jefferson County Housing Authority in Denver, the Colorado Division of Housing in Colorado Springs, the Fort Collins Housing Authority and the Colorado Division of Housing in Durango.
The HUD-VASH program has dating to 2008.
Agencies must apply for the money and they must be near a VA medical center, Sullivan said.
They also have to have an interest in administering the housing vouchers, he said. Vouchers are distributed through tenant-based and project-based awards. For tenant-based awards, veterans must locate a landlord who will accept the voucher. For project-based awards, the rental subsidy stays with the unit, Sullivan said. Those units are multifamily housing under contract with HUD.
A news release Thursday from HUD said “veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.”
According to a by The Washington Post, the typical renter household in Denver must spend 42.2 percent of its income to afford a two-bedroom apartment. In Adams County it’s 37.9 percent; in Arapahoe County, 38.9 percent.
