State, fed VA sign agreement

The program for homeless veterans at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King will remain open.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to extend funding for the transitional housing programs in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs operates programs for homeless veterans in King and Union Grove.

The programs rely on federal funding, which state officials learned in June would end this year.

On Aug. 16, USDVA gave the WDVA unofficial notification of a one-year grant extension to continue operations under each program’s current approved structure.

The agreement was signed on Aug. 22.

WDVA plans to submit new grant applications for both King and Union Grove in close coordination with each program’s supporting USDVA medical center.

“Helping veterans regain mental and physical health, maintain steady employment and find quality affordable permanent housing are the goals of our highly successful programs,” WDVA Secretary Dan Zimmerman said.

WDVA’s homeless programs had been continually funded for more than two decades.

The average time it takes a veteran to complete the program and gain permanent housing is about 10 months.

In 2016, WDVA’s transitional housing programs assisted 124 veterans.