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US Labor Department announces more than $5 million in grants to organizations serving homeless female veterans and veterans with families

WASHINGTON, June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service today announced more than $5 million in grants to aid homeless female veterans and veterans with families. Twenty-six grants in 14 states and the District of Columbia will provide job training, counseling and placement services (including job readiness, and literacy and skills training) to expedite the reintegration of homeless female veterans and veterans with families into the labor force through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.

"The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that these remarkable men and women successfully transition back into the working world," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The members of our armed forces make enormous sacrifices for the nation. The least we owe them when they return to civilian life is a chance to earn a living, support their families and have a stable place to rest their heads each night."

"Female veterans and veterans with families face special challenges when reintegrating into civilian life," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for VETS Ray Jefferson. "This important emphasis of the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program will allow us to identify and communicate the best practices for women and families in order to accelerate the successful transition for these brave veterans into meaningful employment."

"It is unconscionable that so many female veterans, after serving our country, find themselves homeless," said Sara Manzano-Diaz, director of the Labor Department's Women's Bureau. "There are barriers unique to this population of service members that leave them vulnerable to homelessness. Through these grants, the department will provide critical assistance in reintegrating these women into the workforce and starting them on a path toward self-sufficiency."

In addition to providing reintegration services, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Grants will stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the unique problems faced by this population of homeless veterans.

Successful applicants were able to express their understanding of the challenges faced by homeless female veterans and/or homeless veterans with families and demonstrated via their grant applications that they had begun developing a network of service providers that were already addressing the needs of this population.

Editor's note: A list of grantees follows this release.

Program Year 2010 Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Grants

                        Grantee Name            City        ST    Amount
                        ------------
    St. Francis House Inc.                  Little Rock  Ark.     $106,071
    ----------------------                  -----------  ----     --------
    United States Veterans Initiative       Long Beach   Calif.   $150,000
    ---------------------------------       ----------   ------   --------
    Volunteers of America Los Angeles       Los Angeles  Calif.   $300,000
    ---------------------------------       -----------  ------   --------
    All Faith Consortium Inc.               Washington   D.C.     $150,000
    -------------------------               ----------   ----     --------
    Second Chance Employment Services       Washington   D.C.     $300,000
    ---------------------------------       ----------   ----     --------
    Okaloosa Walton Homeless Continuum of    Fort Walton
     Care Opportunity Inc.                   Beach       Fla.     $200,000
    -------------------------------------   ------------ ----     --------
    Tampa Crossroads Inc.                   Tampa        Fla.     $237,974
    -------------------------------------   -----        ----     --------
    Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency     Atlanta      Ga.      $261,800
    -----------------------------------     -------      ---      --------
    Mental Health Association in Hawaii
     Inc.                                   Honolulu     Hawaii   $300,000
    -----------------------------------     --------     ------   --------
    Volunteers of America of Illinois       Chicago      Ill.     $154,065
    ---------------------------------       -------      ----     --------
    United Veterans of America              Leeds        Mass.    $200,000
    --------------------------              -----        -----    --------
    (doing business as Soldier On)
    ------------------------------
    Veterans Inc.                           Worcester    Mass.     $94,220
    -------------                           ---------    -----     -------
    Volunteers of America Michigan Inc.     Southfield   Mich.    $300,000
    -----------------------------------     ----------   -----    --------
    Saratoga County Rural Preservation Co.
     Inc.                                   Ballston Spa N.Y.      $75,000
    --------------------------------------  ------------ ----      -------
    Black Veterans for Social Justice Inc.  Brooklyn     N.Y.     $300,000
    --------------------------------------  --------     ----     --------
    Phoenix Houses of New York Inc.         New York     N.Y.     $126,139
    -------------------------------         --------     ----     --------
    Services for the UnderServed Inc.       New York     N.Y.     $299,995
    Central City Concern                    Portland     Ore.      $75,000
    --------------------                    --------     ----      -------
    YWCA of Greater Harrisburg              Harrisburg   Pa.       $76,424
    --------------------------              ----------   ---       -------
    The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-
     Service & Education Center Inc.        Philadelphia Pa.       $76,612
    --------------------------------        ------------ ---       -------
    Fast Forward                            Columbia     S.C.     $100,000
    ------------                            --------     ----     --------
    Ethos Educational Services LLC (doing
     business as Excel Learning Center)     El Paso      Texas    $300,000
    -------------------------------------   -------      -----    --------
    Goodwill Industries of Houston          Houston      Texas    $300,000
    ------------------------------          -------      -----    --------
    American GI Forum National Veterans
     Outreach Program Inc.                  San Antonio  Texas    $300,000
    -----------------------------------     -----------  -----    --------
    Vocational Training Institute, LLC
     (doing business as Job Ready Training-
     San Antonio)                           San Antonio  Texas    $300,000
    --------------------------------------- -----------  -----    --------
    Partners in Careers                     Vancouver    Wash.    $173,280
    -------------------                     ---------    -----    --------
                                                                $5,256,580

U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor