Gate House Vice Chairman Hunter Kurtz was a guest of Julie Mason of SiriusXM’s Julie Mason Mornings to discuss veterans homelessness in America, which numbers approximately 37,000 veterans on any given night.
Mason and Kurtz reflected on the challenges faced by lawmakers and policymakers in executive agencies like HUD, where Kurtz recently served as Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing and during that time oversaw HUD’s work on veterans homelessness.
In acknowledging the complexity of the issues that affect veterans and their potential relationship to housing status, Kurtz outlined the main strategies that have proven effective for veterans experiencing homelessness in recent years, including the “HUD-VASH” program, which works with Public Housing Authorities and the Veterans Affairs Department to provide services while HUD simultaneously provides “Section 8” vouchers toward their housing. Kurtz credits progress to the development, evolution, and role over many years of certain “Housing First” policies that incorporate wrap-around services necessary to address underlying causes of homelessness and critical services needed to ensure veterans have a place to live long term.
