Delaware News


Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Ending Veteran Homelessness in Delaware

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, November 11, 2016



In 2015, we committed to ending and preventing homelessness among veterans in Delaware. I said something then that remains true today: Even one homeless veteran is one too many. That’s why this week I was thrilled to announce that – after more than a year’s work with our local, state and federal partners – we have effectively ended veteran homelessness in our state. We now have the systems in place to ensure that homelessness is prevented whenever possible; that it is rare, brief and does not reoccur.

Many groups deserve our thanks for their work to ensure that all veterans in Delaware have a safe, quality place to call home. The Delaware State Housing Authority led the statewide initiative with support from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs, but it would not have been possible without the determination of local leaders and advocates. They include mayors across our state – from Wilmington, to Dover, to Georgetown – and all of the members of a state working group, including teams in each county made up of local officials and service providers on the ground. I’m confident that we are well-positioned to maintain our progress. We have developed a formal process to share data, improve coordination between Veteran-specific resources, homelessness prevention services, and landlords who help us find permanent housing for veterans.

Since last January, we have found permanent housing for more than 400 formerly homeless Delaware veterans – people like Henry Smith, who I met this year at Salesianum, where a group of students are supporting our efforts by raising money. Henry said that after being homeless for seven years, he thought housing “was impossible.” Thank you to everyone who has made it possible to get our veterans the help they need and deserve. Showing them the same level of commitment they made to our country will help keep Delaware moving forward.

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Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

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Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Ending Veteran Homelessness in Delaware

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, November 11, 2016



In 2015, we committed to ending and preventing homelessness among veterans in Delaware. I said something then that remains true today: Even one homeless veteran is one too many. That’s why this week I was thrilled to announce that – after more than a year’s work with our local, state and federal partners – we have effectively ended veteran homelessness in our state. We now have the systems in place to ensure that homelessness is prevented whenever possible; that it is rare, brief and does not reoccur.

Many groups deserve our thanks for their work to ensure that all veterans in Delaware have a safe, quality place to call home. The Delaware State Housing Authority led the statewide initiative with support from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs, but it would not have been possible without the determination of local leaders and advocates. They include mayors across our state – from Wilmington, to Dover, to Georgetown – and all of the members of a state working group, including teams in each county made up of local officials and service providers on the ground. I’m confident that we are well-positioned to maintain our progress. We have developed a formal process to share data, improve coordination between Veteran-specific resources, homelessness prevention services, and landlords who help us find permanent housing for veterans.

Since last January, we have found permanent housing for more than 400 formerly homeless Delaware veterans – people like Henry Smith, who I met this year at Salesianum, where a group of students are supporting our efforts by raising money. Henry said that after being homeless for seven years, he thought housing “was impossible.” Thank you to everyone who has made it possible to get our veterans the help they need and deserve. Showing them the same level of commitment they made to our country will help keep Delaware moving forward.

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.