NEW HAVEN, CT—Connecticut Representatives Rosa DeLauro, John Larson and Jim Himes today applauded the announcement that three organizations that serve Connecticut veterans have been awarded over $3 million in federal grants. Columbus House, The WorkPlace and Community Renewal Team are among 301 community agencies that will be receiving a total of approximately $300 million.

The grants provide funding to local organizations to help prevent at-risk veterans from becoming homeless and to help re-house those who have recently fallen into homelessness. The WorkPlace in Bridgeport; Community Renewal Team in Hartford and Columbus House in New Haven will use the funding to provide a range of services that promote housing stability and play a key role in connecting veterans and their family members to VA services.

“As a nation, we have an obligation to ensure that, at the very least, the brave men and women who serve our country have a place to call home,” DeLauro said. “We have to be sure we are doing everything possible to facilitate the transition from the battlefield back to civilian life. These grants will go a long way towards helping some of those with the most difficulty making the transition.”

“It is our responsibility to end veterans homelessness and fight for those who have protected the freedoms we all enjoy today,” said Larson. “They deserve the support of their nation, state and community for their sacrifice. This award will continue that effort by helping a number of organizations provide needed assistance and housing opportunities to our brave service members returning to Connecticut.”

“Our nation’s veterans fought to protect our freedoms and the American way of life; we must ensure that they have a chance to live their own lives with a stable home for their families and good jobs back at home,” Himes said. “These grants are an important part of supporting our veterans after their service. I applaud The WorkPlace on receiving this significant grant to support their programs this year. They have been a consistent ally of Connecticut veterans and I look forward to continuing to work with them to help all of our veterans achieve the success they have earned.”

“Columbus House served close to 100 Veterans last year with Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) funding, providing cases management, employment services, legal services and short term financial support,” said Alison Cunningham, Columbus House Executive Director. “SSVF is critical to our efforts to end and prevent Veteran homelessness, and we are grateful to the VA for its support of this program.”

“Since becoming the first Connecticut provider of SSVF, we have found it to be one of the best ways to assist truly vulnerable veteran households get back to stability,” said Lena Rodriguez, President and CEO of Community Renewal Team. “In the past year, we have helped over 200 veteran families – the majority of whom were literally homeless and lacked family connections or community resources to help them find stable housing. Veterans who are in shelters or living outdoors benefit from CRT’s intensive wraparound services that help them reunite with families, secure employment, and move to transitional and then permanent housing.”

“Support Services for Veteran Families is a very important program which helps us meet the needs of our veterans and their families. We are very pleased to be selected to continue our work supporting this community,” said Joe Carbone, President and CEO, The WorkPlace.” “Our thanks go to Connecticut Representatives DeLauro, Larson and Himes for their support of this opportunity which will enable us to make a real difference for Connecticut veteran families.”

The full list of Connecticut awards from the SSVF program is as follows:

• Community Renewal Team: $529,380
• The WorkPlace: $1,281,624
• Columbus House: $1,516,990

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