SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas, Thursday presented a $1.67 million check to San Diego County to fund a program intended to provide affordable housing to veterans.
The money awarded Thursday will be used for the Homelessness Prevention Landlord Incentive Program, which provides direct payments to landlords to lower rental costs for veterans who qualify for assistance through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
Last year, the county invested $683,900 in landlord incentives, helping secure housing for 243 veterans.
"The landlord incentive program reduces barriers that keep people from renting an apartment," Blakespear said. "Landlords need a security deposit and the assurance that any damage to the unit will be covered, among other things, in order to rent their units.
"I am thrilled that I was able to secure state funding to support a system for the men and women who have served this country to get quickly into places to live."
According to the county, once a landlord agrees to rent to the veteran with a VASH voucher, a lease is signed and rental assistance begins. This assistance is paid directly to landlords, not tenants, and can be used for things like leasing bonuses, application fees, security deposits and a landlord assurance fund.
Blakespear presented the check to San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre.
"This isn't just a win for the balance sheet -- it's a lifeline for San Diegans," Aguirre said. "It is far more humane and fiscally responsible to keep a roof over someone's head today than to build a shelter bed tomorrow, and this funding allows us to move from reactive crisis management to proactive prevention."
A veteran at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness can apply for assistance through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The voucher works like rental assistance, and the veteran can use the voucher to look for housing on the open rental market.
More than 189,000 veterans live in San Diego County, along with around 115,000 active-duty military personnel.
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