Bergen County, NJ, now houses 100% of its homeless veterans

[Recursion]

http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2016/08/why_125_homeless_nj_veterans_now_have_a_place_to_live.html

President Obama had set 2016 as a target to achieve this nationwide. We've made some strides but aren't there yet. Bergen County, NJ, however, has become the first county certified to have achieved the goal.

Last year, the county joined the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran's Homelessness, a program launched in 2014 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to help end veteran homelessness throughout the United States. This January there were just under 40,000 homeless veterans reported throughout the U.S.

Since joining the challenge, Bergen County has found homes for 125 homeless veterans.

"I know we can all agree that this is an absolute outrage," the First Lady said at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in January. "It is a horrifying stain on our nation, particularly when you think about all that these men and women have done for our country."

The key to the initiative and Bergen's success is strategic partnership with service providers to help homeless veterans find a place to live, said Bergen County Division of Veterans Services Director A.J. Luna.

[GP6971]

1. K & R!