"With American Indians and Alaska Natives more than 2 1/2 more likely to join the armed services than all other ethnicities, care of our veterans is of vital importance to Indian country.

Agreeing that our war veterans in need deserve immediate assistance, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs began a housing voucher program combining housing with case management and health services, because often, veterans are forced to choose between those two needs. They cannot afford a place to live where services are available, and they can’t access services in affordable housing areas.

Already 30,000 vouchers have been issued since 2008, according to the agencies. To date, HUD-VASH serves as the only permanent supportive housing intervention.

The cut proposed this week will stifle the joint HUD-VA program from giving housing assistance to 10,000 veterans unless the funds are restored. Many of these veterans served in Iraq and Afghanistan. A growing percentage of them are women and young heads of households with children. They courageously enlisted in the military, served in wartime and returned home often to collapsed private lives, shattered marriages, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance issues."

Get the Story:
Maria Cuomo Cole: Protecting Those Who Served (Indian Country Today 3/8)