Cohen Announces More Than $900,000 in Funding for Catholic Charities of West Tennessee to Help Fight and Prevent Veteran Homelessness
WASHINGTON, DC – July 24, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today announced a $907,000 grant to the Catholic Charities of West Tennessee (CCWTN) to help prevent an estimated 160 local veterans and their families from falling homeless and to find housing for those that already have. Today’s grant funding is through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program.
“Our nation’s veterans are heroes who risked their lives for our safety and security,” said Congressman Cohen. “Whether in Memphis or New York City, no one who puts his or her life on the line for our freedom should live at risk of homelessness. Today’s funding will help us take an important step towards the goal of eliminating veteran homelessness.”
In addition to fighting and preventing veteran homelessness, CCWTN will provide the estimated 160 veterans and their families with access to its food pantry, clothes closet, summer camps, and other services. This is the second grant of this sort that Congressman Cohen has announced this month. On July 15th, he announced a $422,000 grant to Memphis Area Legal Services, Inc., that will be used to assist an additional 100 veterans and their families.
“We are pleased to expand our work with homeless veterans beyond our efforts currently underway at our Genesis House,” said Mike Allen, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of West Tennessee. “In addition, we are grateful to Congressmen Cohen for his efforts on our behalf in securing this grant. He was instrumental in bringing this program into Shelby County,” said Allen.
Catholic Charities of West Tennessee is the social services arm of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis. It is one of the largest nonprofit, multi-social service providers in the Mid-South with special emphasis in the areas of homelessness, immigration services, Veterans Services and emergency services. For more information please visit the agency web site at www.ccwtn.org and at facebook.com/ccwtn.
Today’s announcement is part of more than $300 million that the Department of Veterans Affairs recently awarded to allow more than 300 community agencies help roughly 120,000 veterans across the nation. The Department’s SSVF Program supports efforts to prevent at-risk veterans from becoming homeless and rapidly re-house those who have recently fallen into homelessness.
