California’s Department of Housing and Community Development is awarding $4.42 million to the city of Merced to construct 21 permanent homes for veterans and provide necessary services.
On March 17, the city of Merced in Central California announced that the Department of Housing and Community Development awarded $4.42 million to the city’s fund for building shelters for veterans who are either homeless or at risk for homelessness.
The new funds will support 21 new homes built from shipping containers that are equipped with basic amenities and grant veterans access to “intensive case management services, linkages to behavioral [and] physical health services, assistance obtaining benefits, essential documentation, and educational and employment services.”
The homes are permanent and veterans are allowed to bring their immediate families as well; however, the announcement does not mention each unit’s capacity. It is not clear when the new homes will be ready for residents.
The $4.42 million announced for Merced is part of a $1.4 billion program administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development to combat general homelessness in California. Announcements for further allocation of the fund are expected in the coming days.
While Southern California is home to more homeless veterans than anywhere else in the United States (one reason the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is focusing on Los Angeles as it combats the issue), Northern and Central California’s homeless veteran population remains a major concern. Cities such as Fresno, Bakersfield, and San Francisco are all included near the top of U.S. cities with the most homeless veterans.
Despite this, efforts to improve veterans homelessness in California are beginning to prove successful. The VA has housed at least 1,000 veterans in Southern California since October 2021 and expects that number to climb through the remainder of this year.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
