HOUSING DEVELOPMENT TARGETED TO VETERANS OPENS IN EL MONTE
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT TARGETED TO VETERANS OPENS IN EL MONTE
County Provides Funding to Make Veterans Village
a Supportive Environment for our Nation’s Heroes
El Monte, March 12, 2014 – The Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles (CDC) joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, El Monte City Mayor Pro Tem Bart Patel, and Mercy Housing California to celebrate the grand opening of El Monte Veterans Village (Veterans Village).
Veterans Village is the first permanent supportive community for homeless veterans in the San Gabriel Valley. This landmark development paves the way for future efforts to provide affordable, service enriched, supportive housing for homeless veterans in the Los Angeles area. The $12 million, 40-unit comprehensive affordable housing development for veterans is built in close proximity to El Monte’s downtown areas, services, transit lines, and the local Veterans of Foreign Wars facility.
The City of El Monte, in partnership with Mercy Housing and New Directions, Inc., orchestrated the success of Veterans Village. The CDC was honored to partner in this project, and invested $2.45 million of its City of Industry funds. Additionally, the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles provided 40 Project-Based Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers to ensure the units remain affordable.
New Directions, Inc., the lead service provider, will oversee onsite supportive services such as case management, health & wellness programs, benefits claims assistance, legal services, substance abuse recovery support, and social and recreational activities.
Sean Rogan, Executive Director of the CDC said, “Veterans sacrifice all they have to ensure our safety and freedom. Veterans who are homeless, or on the verge of homelessness, deserve our support. Developments like Veterans Village offer the opportunity for leaders and the community to embrace them and provide the services needed to live comfortably.”
Mercy Housing California has developed 125 properties across 36 counties in California serving low- and very low-income working families, seniors, formerly homeless individuals, and people with disabilities.
For more information on the development of El Monte Veterans Village, please contact Ben Rosen, Mercy Housing California, at (213) 743-5823. All media may contact Elisa Vásquez, Public Information Officer for the CDC, at (626) 586-1762.
