DOL Grants to Help Homeless Veterans Find Employment

Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez has announced the award of $36 million in Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grants to help an estimated 17,000 veterans successfully transition to sustainable housing and good civilian jobs. The grants will fund a variety of services to assist homeless veterans in their return to the labor force including occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance. “Veterans homelessness is a moral outrage and it hurts the economy as well,” said the secretary in announcing the grants at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans’ annual conference. “We know that America works best when we field a full team, and veterans are some of our most valuable players. When a lack of stable housing is keeping highly skilled veterans out of the workforce, we all lose out on their gifts and talents.” Grants were awarded on a competitive basis to state and local workforce investment boards, local public agencies and nonprofit organizations, tribal governments, and faith-based and community organizations. HVRP is the only federal program focused exclusively on employment of homeless veterans. President Obama has proposed increasing funding for the HVRP program to $50 million in the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget. Many HVRP grant recipients’ awards will also include funding to allow them to target specific at-risk veteran populations. The Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program provides funding for services to expedite the reintegration of incarcerated or recently incarcerated veterans who are at risk for homeless into the labor force. The Homeless Female Veterans and Veterans with Families Program provides funding for services to expedite the reintegration of homeless female veterans and veterans with families into the labor force.