FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 27, 2014

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AWARDED MORE THAN $690,000 IN HUD VETERANS AFFAIRS SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM VOUCHERS

Vouchers will Support Supportive Housing Development and Provide Affordable Housing Opportunities for Homeless and At-Risk Low-Income Veterans



TRENTON, N.J. - DCA Commissioner, Richard E. Constable, III, today announced that the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) was awarded $453,524 for 49 project-based vouchers through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH).The DCA will use the HUD-VASH vouchers to support Valley Brook Village II, a housing project that will be built on the grounds of Lyons Campus of the VA NJ Health Care System. The HUD-VASH program is collaboration between HUD, the Veteran's Administration (VA) the DCA to provide permanent housing for homeless veterans.

"The Christie Administration is committed to serving New Jersey’s most vulnerable populations," said Commissioner Constable. "The resources provided by DCA through the HUD-VASH program are critical for New Jersey’s most vulnerable veterans, many of whom are chronically homeless and disabled."

In the HUD-VASH program, VA Medical Centers assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for VASH vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of homelessness and the need for longer term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. The program provides rental assistance and case management and clinical services provided by the VA. Veterans participating in the program rent privately-owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent.

Located on the campus of the VA New Jersey Health Care System in Lyons, New Jersey, the Valley Brook Village II project will include 50 units with one set aside for live-in-staff. The DCA will administer 49 vouchers for this project making the housing affordable for applicants. The units will resemble the recently completed Valley Brook Village I project and will be designed to be highly energy efficient and handicapped accessible,

Valley Brook II will be conveniently located near shopping, community resources, and facilities, including two grocery stores, two pharmacies, two libraries, and medical services on-site at the VA Medical Center. The NJ Transit Lyons train station, a handicap accessible facility located less than a mile from the site, provides transportation to the entire nation via connections in Newark or New York. On-site, a van is available to transport residents to local shops and services.

The developers for the project are Peabody Properties, Windover Construction and Community Hope. Peabody Properties is a multifaceted firm that provides property management services for more than 10,000 units of residential housing with more than 4,000 of these units for elderly and or disabled residents.

 

Community Hope, the social service provider of the project, will provide case management services to all residents of Valley Brook Village, as well as programming and outreach coordination and vocational training, Community Hope is one of the largest providers of transitional and supportive housing in New Jersey founded in 1985 by mental health professionals and family members in response to a lack of therapeutic settings for young adults recovering from serious mental health issues.

 

The existing Valley Brook Village I project, completed in 2013, received 50 vouchers from the DCA. All units were ready for occupancy in October 2013 with all 62 units filled by November, 2013 demonstrating the need for this special-interest housing.

 

More than $62 million to help more than 9,000 homeless veterans was awarded in this year’s grant round. Since 2008, more than 59,000 vouchers have been awarded and more than 74,000 homeless veterans have been served through the HUD-VASH program. For more information on the HUD-VASH program visit HUD at

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/vash.

 

The DCA’s Division of Housing and Community Resources is committed to building neighborhoods and to providing financial and technical assistance to municipalities, community action agencies and other nonprofit organizations for community and economic development projects that improve the quality of life for low-income, disabled and disadvantaged residents.

 

For more information, visit http://www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/dhcr/.