Nevada County was recently recognized by a national initiative known as Built for Zero for making tremendous progress in reducing the number of veterans experiencing homelessness. Now, the community is working to reach a goal called functional zero by November 11, 2021, Veterans Day. Local leaders are collaborating to achieve this milestone, which will reflect that the community has functionally ended veteran homelessness.
Recently, the community has been working very hard to house 28 veterans who are experiencing homelessness, nine of whom are experiencing chronic homelessness. As of early October, twenty of those veterans have been successfully housed. Our goal is for Nevada County to be able to count itself among only 12 other communities that have been certified nationally for achieving functional zero for veteran homelessness. Functional zero is a milestone that demonstrates that the community has fewer veterans experiencing homelessness than can be routinely housed.
If you own a rental property and are interested in helping to house veterans, there are resources available to get you started. AMI Housing, Inc (AMIH), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people find and remain in their housing, offers these incentives and support programs to landlords:
- Master leasing & guaranteed rent
- Landlord financial incentives
- Financial assistance on behalf of qualified tenants
- Money for repair costs and appliance replacement
- Services and classes to ensure tenant success
- A team of dedicated staff to quickly respond to your calls and provide ongoing support.
To learn more, contact: HCTeam@amihousing.org or (530) 878-5088.
There is also a Homeless Veterans Housing Program at Hospitality House:
- Services include emergency shelter; food; clothing; VA benefits assistance; case management; job training, mental health counseling; transportation; and referrals for service.
- Financial assistance (available to homeless veterans and housed veterans at risk of homelessness): First and last month’s rent; security deposits; past due rent; utility bills; car payments; and healthcare payments.
To find out more, please reach out to: Veteran Bill Davis at 530.615.7873 or wdavis@hhshelter.org.