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VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans at 25 Locations Nationwide

November 10, 2011

VA Plans 3,000 Units of Housing for Veterans

at 25 Locations Nationwide

Continues Ongoing Efforts to Provide Housing to Veterans

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has entered agreements to provide more than 3,000 units of permanent and transitional housing for Veterans at 25 VA medical center campuses nationwide. Additionally, agreements are pending on an additional 1,000 units, which we anticipate completing in the coming weeks. Proposed opportunities include housing for homeless Veterans, senior Veterans, disabled Veterans, other at-risk Veteran populations, and their families.

“As we approach Veterans Day, it is important that we never forget the sacrifices made by our Veterans to ensure the freedom and independence all Americans cherish,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These efforts to ensure the well-being of our Veterans and their families demonstrate our Nation’s gratitude for their service and commitment to honoring their dedication.”

The agreements are part of VA’s Building Utilization Review and Repurposing (BURR) initiative. BURR is a VA strategic effort to identify and repurpose unused VA land and buildings in support of VA’s goal to end Veteran homelessness. VA is using its enhanced-use lease authority to permit third-party providers to finance, design, develop, maintain and operate housing with on-site supportive services, on a priority basis, for Veterans and their families.

The co-location of these projects on VAMC campuses ensures that Veterans have ready access to care and treatment designed to help them attain long-term independence and self-sufficiency.

An estimated total of 5,300 units of affordable and supportive housing will be provided to Veterans. This number includes projects already in operation or underway.

VA is proceeding with agreements with third-party providers at 25 sites nationwide. These sites and proposed developments include:

· Canandaigua, N.Y. – 48 transitional and permanent housing units

· Fort Howard, Md. – 1,437 housing units

· Lyons, N.J. – 62 permanent housing units

· Newington, Conn. – 74 permanent housing units

· Alexandria, La. – 70 transitional housing units

· Kerrville, Texas – 100 units of assisted living/extended care housing

· Knoxville, Iowa – 75 units of permanent housing

· Newington, Conn. – 100 units of assisted living/extended care housing

· Northampton, Mass. – 48 permanent housing units

· Roseburg, Ore. – 44 permanent and 10 transitional housing units

· Bath, N.Y. – 40 permanent and transitional housing units

· Battle Creek, Mich. – 100 permanent housing units

· Bedford, Mass. – 70 permanent housing units

· Brockton, Mass. – 14 permanent housing units

· Fort Harrison, Mont. – 100 permanent housing units

· Hines, Ill. – 120 permanent housing units

· Menlo Park, Calif. – 60 permanent housing units

· Minneapolis, Minn. – 58 permanent housing units

· Northport, N.Y. – 110 permanent housing units

· Sacramento, Calif. – 99 bed nursing care facility

· Spokane, Wash. – 60 units of assisted living

· St. Cloud, Minn. – 35 permanent housing units

· Togus, Maine – 50 permanent housing units

· Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 26 permanent housing units

· Vancouver, Wash. – 42 permanent housing units

For additional information regarding the BURR initiative, please visit http://www.va.gov/ASSETMANAGEMENT/index.asp.

For all other questions regarding the BURR initiative please contact VA_BURR@va.gov.

To get the complete articles go to: www.murray.senate.gov

Applauding our Service members and Veterans for Bringing Osama bin Laden to Justice

This week, I spoke on the floor of the Senate to applaud the most significant victory to date in our war on terrorism and to pay tribute to our service members, veterans, and intelligence operatives who worked so diligently to ensure that Osama bin Laden was brought to justice.

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Getting Critical Benefits for Family Caregivers of Veterans

Thisweek, I was very pleased to see that the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs listened to my concerns and reversed their decision to restrict financial and health care support to familymembers caring for severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The change will allow more caregivers of more veterans to be eligible for the long-overdue benefit. I felt sostrongly about this issue that I personally brought it up with President Obama in the Oval Office. I’m pleased the he showed real leadership and worked to ensure the VA made this right.Going forward, I will monitor how the VA implements this program, looking closely at how caregivers of veterans with the invisible wounds of war are considered for this benefit.

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Training our Workforce

Last week, I toured the Pacific Fisherman Shipyard in Seattle with local workersand business owners to discuss legislation that would make sure workers have the skills and training they need to fill local jobs. According to a recent report released by the Washington StateEmployment Security Department, statewide job openings were up 31% last fall compared to a year earlier. This is great news; however, often employers can’t find local workers with theskills needed to fill those jobs. That’s why I’m working to pass my CareerPathways legislation which would help young people leaving high school get the skills and training they need to enter the workforce. I’m also working to reform and reauthorize the WorkforceInvestment Act which offers critical retraining to workers, including those who have recently been laid off

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Ensuring Workplace Safety

Last week, I honored Workers Memorial Day and the 40 thanniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the effective date of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. In the past 40 years, we have made greatprogress in reducing workplace tragedies, but we still have a long way to go. Every worker, in every industry, deserves to be confident that while they are working hard and doing their jobs, theiremployers are doing everything they can to protect them. That’s why I joined so many others last week in recommitting to our efforts to make sure that workplaces are safe in everyindustry across America.

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Urging President Obama to Fill Vacancies on Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, DecreaseWaiting Time for Veterans Seeking Answers on their Benefits

This week, I sent a letter to President Obama urging him to quickly fill threevacant judicial positions on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. This court has the huge responsibility of reviewing rejected disability and health care benefit claims for veterans, anincreasingly large burden with a claims backlog that has doubled in recent years. Without the quick nomination of judges to fill these seats, veterans will continue waiting far too longto get answers on their benefits. Once President Obama announces his nominees, I will work with my colleagues to move them quickly through the Senate confirmation process.