Helping Homeless Vets Find 'Place to Call Their Own'

No Americans should sacrifice their safety and risk their lives defending the country, only to return home and have no place to go.

The Massachusetts state government is taking steps to repay veterans by making sure they all have a place to call home. On the day set aside to honor all veterans and the sacrifice they have made, Gov. Charlie Baker announced a new state voucher program to help veterans find a place to live.

“Veterans Day is not only a day to recognize the invaluable contribution our veterans have made to our state and our country, but to consider the services necessary to enable their success later in life,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “What better way to repay our veterans for their sacrifices than to ensure they have a place to call their own.”

Under the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, the administration is allocating 65 rental vouchers to homeless veterans who veterans’ committees have identified across the commonwealth. The vouchers — which typically equal 30 to 40 percent of a veteran’s income, according to the governor’s office — can be used to pay for rental units. Any landlord who passes a state inspection of the property is eligible to take part in the program.

Local Continuum of Care’s veterans’ committees and the Department of Veterans Services identified veterans from across the state who would immediately benefit from the community-based response to veteran homelessness.

The voucher program aims to reduce the number of homeless veterans in Massachusetts, which totaled nearly 2,000 during the last count in February, according to the governor’s office — 465 of whom were living on the streets or in homeless shelters. About 1,100 more were in transitional housing at the time.