New center to welcome homeless vets;
Providence Journal. Providence, R.I.: Jun 8, 2002.

JOHNSTON Once derelict, the four buildings at 1010 Hartford Ave. today are being dedicated as permanent housing for homeless veterans.

Among those expected to join Operation Stand Down for the 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting are U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Lincoln Chafee, and U.S. Representatives James Langevin and Patrick Kennedy.

"Those who have served their country in the armed services are owed an enduring debt of gratitude by all Americans," says Reed.

The veterans group spent $464,000 to turn the four vacant buildings into apartments where veterans can get education, job training, counseling and health care aimed at helping them get back on their feet.

The buildings sit on a bluff about 20 feet above Hartford Avenue, near Borden Avenue. The duplex-style, one-story structures include seven one-bedroom apartments and a community room.

Residents must be homeless, disabled veterans of the U.S. armed forces. They will pay no more than 20 percent of their income toward the cost of rent, meals, laundry and related housing costs.

The Rhode Island Veterans Action Center reports that 30 percent of all applicants to its programs in 2000 and 2001 were homeless or on the verge of homelessness.

"This project offers affordable housing and appropriate supportive services to courageous veterans who have gone through a very difficult time. It is my hope that for many, it will be a turning point in their lives," says Chafee.

The financing includes more than $424,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and $40,000 from the state Neighborhood Opportunities Program.

The development is the second to be completed using proceeds of a $10-million bond deal approved by the General Assembly in March.

The federal money was allocated by the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation, which oversees the programs in Rhode Island.

One of the objectives of the Johnston project is to provide a setting that will enable Operation Stand Down to link veterans with VA benefits and other assistance.

"We go one step further than transitional housing. The vets never have to leave. It's permanent," said Anthony DeQuattro of Operation Stand Down.