BALTIMORE — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will award 11 grants to six local community organizations to support more than 240 beds to help Maryland Veterans exit homelessness.
The GPD program provides funding to community organizations that provide transitional housing and supportive services for homeless Veterans, with the goal of helping homeless Veterans achieve residential stability and increase their skill levels and income to obtain greater self-determination.
The six organizations include one grant each to Arundel House of Hope in Glen Burnie; Cecil County Men’s Shelter in Elkton; Chesapeake Health and Education Program in Perry Point; three grants each to Baltimore Station and Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training, (MCVET), and two grants to Project PLASE, Inc. all in Baltimore City.
The award period begins Oct. 1 to support three different types of grants to address the unique needs of Veterans who are homeless:
- Per Diem only grants are used to provide transitional housing beds and operate service centers for Veterans experiencing homelessness. These grants provide funding in the form of per diem payments to reimburse grantees for the cost of care provided to Veterans during the award period.
- Special Need grants provide funding to organizations that incur additional operational costs to help Veterans with special needs who are experiencing homelessness, including women, individuals with chronic mental illnesses and Veterans who care for minor dependents.
- Transition in Place grants provide funding to community agencies that place Veterans experiencing homelessness in transitional housing while providing them with supportive services. These services are designed to help Veterans become more stable and independent, with the ultimate goal of Veterans assuming full responsibility for the lease or other housing agreement. When that goal has been achieved, the transitional residence becomes the Veteran’s permanent residence and supportive services come to an end.
Information about the GPD program and a list of grantees is available at https://www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp.
