Feds Salute NYC's Fight Against Veteran Homelessness
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The federal government is declaring that New York City has resolved its chronic veteran homelessness crisis.
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness sent a letter to the city Wednesday to note the "milestone" in battling veteran homelessness.
Chronic homelessness is defined as someone who has been homeless for a year or had four incidents of being homeless over three years.
Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration found homes for 1,000 homeless veterans in 2015.
Five other homeless veterans have declined the city's offers of assistance. Another 760 are in city shelters but don't count as chronically homeless.
"The brave women and men who valiantly protected our nation abroad should never be left without a home," de Blasio said in a statement. "Today, we have ensured that those in the veteran community who have struggled to find and remain in housing time and time again will have a stable place to call home. I'm grateful to the city agencies, federal partners and the City Council, who all worked tirelessly together to make this pledge a reality."
The designation comes as rare good news for de Blasio on the vexing issue of homelessness. A near-record 58,000 people are in shelters. And another 3,000 - 4,000 are living on the street.
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