First Lady, VA Challenge US Mayors to End Vet Homelessness
HUD says Caldwell, Kenoi, Arakawa and Carvalho are not yet on board.
First Lady Michelle Obama andÌýthe U.S. departments of Housing and Urban Development Ìýand Veterans Affairs today announced aÌýMayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness during an event at the White House.
According to HUD, more than across the country pledged they are “committed to ending veterans homelessness in their communities by 2015 using the power of federal, local, and non-profit resources.”
The mayors of Hawaii’s four counties — Kirk Caldwell (Honolulu), Billy Kenoi (Hawaii), Alan Arakawa (Maui) and Bernard Carvalho Jr. (Kauai) — are not on the HUD list.
Caldwell has recently stepped up his administrations efforts regarding homelessness, a “compassionate disruption” planÌýthat has critics and supporters.
Michelle Obama speaking at a veterans hiring expo at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, November 2011.
Ed Morita/Nonstop Honolulu
Hawaii has a large veteran population and a growing homeless population, and they areÌýconverging. Read Civil Beat’sÌýMore of Hawaii’s Veterans Are Homeless Compared With Nearly Every Other State.
ÌýThe Obama Administration says it hasÌýreduced veterans homelessness nationally by 24 percent since 2010. The goal is to endÌýveterans homelessness by the end of 2015.
“When you serve our nation in the bravest of ways, you should not have to wonder where you will lay your head at night,” ÌýsaidÌýHUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “The Administration and communities across the country have taken bold action to use existing resources to create permanent supportive housing and ensure the targeting of the most vulnerable people.”
