NEWS

Westchester homeless veteran population down to 'functional zero'

329 veterans have found permanent homes since the program launched, officials say, and eight are in temporary shelters with permanent housing being sought.

Mark Lungariello
mlungariel@lohud.com

When Westchester County launched its Patriot Housing Initiative in August 2013, it set a goal of ending veteran homelessness in the county by the end of 2015.

Doug Ferguson, a formerly homeless Air Force veteran, who now works at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Montrose.

County officials said at a news conference Thursday that Westchester is at “functional zero,” with no known homeless veterans on the street. Permanent homes have been found for 329 veterans, the county said, and permanent housing is being sought for the eight veterans in temporary shelters.

Doug Ferguson, a U.S. Air Force Veteran, found a home through the county’s Patriot Housing Initiative after falling on hard times and spending about a year on the streets. He said veterans in similar situations should seek help.

“If you were that 1 percent who served the country, you really deserve it,” he said. “Everybody that went in sacrificed their lives for people they don’t even know.”

After finding a home, he enrolled at Westchester Community College and now works for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Montrose preparing food.

The Patriot Housing Initiative started as part of the national 100,000 Homes Campaign which issued a goal to find homes for homeless veterans and their families by 2014. Westchester held two “100-day challenges” in 2013 and 2014 to aid veterans in finding homes and jobs.

Karl Bertrand, a leader of the local campaign, said advocates have identified homeless veterans in various ways, including through partnerships with local soup kitchens and police departments.

“We are determined that if you find another one, we’ll be on that today,” he said.

State Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Yorktown, said he hoped to present Westchester’s initiative as a model to other communities in the state. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, said some local landlords agreed to give veterans rental priority.

“I can’t think of any achievement that I am more proud of than this one,” he said.

Twitter: @marklungariello

Know of a homeless veteran living on the street? Call the 24-hour VA hotline at 1-877-4AIDVET 1-877-424-3838.