Washington, DC – Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore) today announced federal funding to provide job training for veterans through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP).  Congressman Blumenauer sent a letter in April to the Department of Labor in support of this funding, which will provide $500,000 to help Oregon veterans secure employment.

“This federal funding will make a local difference for Oregon’s veterans” said Rep. Blumenauer. “With the sacrifices they have made abroad, they deserve assistance securing a living when they come home. It is unthinkable that more than half of the soldiers from the 41^st Brigade, who returned in April, are not employed. Funding for this program will help retrain veterans so they can enter the workforce.”

As of April, statewide estimates form the Oregon National Guard Reintegration Team showed that 157 of the 2,700 soldiers returning from the 41^st Brigade were homeless, and 51 percent did not have jobs. 20 percent of the 650 homeless individuals surveyed for the Common Ground Vulnerability Index in Portland were veterans.

Through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), 97 grants – totaling over $24 million – were awarded to provide approximately 14,000 veterans with job training to help them succeed in civilian careers.   The Oregon recipients have proven records of working to help homeless veterans transition back into the civilian workforce.

Oregon grantees include: