Some of Wilmington’s homeless veterans are about to get some good news. Yesterday, the Wilmington Housing Authority was awarded a $94,000 grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development--or HUD--which translates to fifteen housing vouchers for area veterans. Wilmington was one of only three cities in the state to receive this allocation.
Every year since 2008, HUD and the VA have awarded limited amounts of these housing assistance vouchers based on areas with the highest amount of homeless veterans, and the performance of their local public housing agencies. Michael Krause, CEO of the Wilmington Housing Authority, says that because the Authority receives significantly less federal and state funding than it did five years ago, it has to be competitive to secure funds for the city’s neediest populations.
"We work in partnership with the VA to assist those veterans. I think certainly we see a homeless population in Fayetteville that’s substantial, but certainly in Wilmington it’s very substantial, too. We already have 40 homeless veterans on our program, and we will have no problem filling up those additional fifteen slots."
The section 8 vouchers will provide tenant-based rental assistance, meaning veterans will be able move into the housing units of their choice.