Thursday, Jun 16 2011 8:35AM
A substantial number of homeless people in the U.S. are veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan stated.
Despite evidence from a new report that shows the Recovery Act's Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program helped mitigate homelessness in the U.S. from 2009 to 2010, the issue remains prevalent among rural communities nationwide.
According to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the volume of rural residents living in shelters or transitional housing jumped 57 percent from 2007 to 2010. Additionally, last year, more than 500,000 people from rural communities sought housing aid.
A report by the Associated Press states many of these rural residents in need of affordable housing and financial aid are veterans. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan told the AP a high number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans likely make up a substantial percentage of all veterans living in shelters.
Donovan also noted the extensive number of homeless single mothers with young children.
"It's not surprising, given the economic crisis, that we would see an increasing number of families," said Donovan. "I think it is a direct result of the employment, the economic challenges we've seen."