Allentown, Pa., July 20, 2022—Lehigh Valley Community Foundation recently issued $150,000 in grants to three area nonprofits providing services for homeless veterans. The Lehigh Valley Homeless Veteran Fund grants support projects that address transitional and supportive housing needs of homeless veterans in the Lehigh Valley; veteran-centric case management:/counseling in relation to housing, employment, finance, and life-skills; or other veteran-oriented programs.
Nonprofit organizations receiving grants in 2022 include:
Catholic Charities
Veterans Case Management Program
New Bethany Ministries
Homeless Veterans Housing Assistance
Victory House of Lehigh Valley
Veteran Service-Intensive Transitional Housing Program
Lehigh County government established the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veteran Fund at the Community Foundation in 2019 to provide grants to charitable organizations for programs supporting homeless veterans in the Lehigh Valley. The county established a committee of five people with experience in veterans’ services or housing programs, finance and administration to allocate the money in grants to charitable organizations for services for homeless veterans in the Valley.
In 2020, the Fund distributed $30,000 in grants to Catholic Charities, Safe Harbor of Easton, and Victory House for programs supporting homeless veterans. In 2021, a round of Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund grants were made possible thanks to state grant funding of $200,000 secured by Senate Appropriations Chairman Pat Browne (16th District) in 2020, which was the largest state commitment specifically targeted towards assisting homeless veterans in the Lehigh Valley. In 2021. Senator Browne secured a second round of funding which enabled the Community Foundation to issue $150,000 in grants in 2022.
“The Lehigh Valley Homeless Veteran Fund continues to make a real difference in the lives of the brave men and women who served our nation,” Senator Browne said. “These additional resources will continue to help provide pathways to our area veterans to obtain sustainable housing, job placement and mental health services. I want to thank all the community and agency partners throughout the Lehigh Valley working to help end the tragedy of Veteran Homelessness.”
Thomas Applebach, Director of the Lehigh County Office of Veterans Affairs and Chair of the committee that oversees the grants stated, “I cannot thank Senator Browne enough for securing these grants for our homeless veterans here in the Lehigh Valley. The state grants, along with donations from individuals and fundraisers held by area businesses, help to sustain and broaden the programs and services our partner agencies provide. I hope that in the future our local lawmakers, businesses, and individuals continue to help fund these grants to that we can continue to serve those who have served us.”
For more information or to make a gift to the fund, visit the Lehigh Valley Homeless Veterans Fund page on the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation website.
Media Contacts:
Michael Wilson
Director of Communications, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
484-695-3277 wilson@lvcfoudation.org(link sends e-mail)
Thomas L. Applebach, MPA
Director, Office of Veterans Affairs, County of Lehigh
610-782-3295 ThomasApplebach@lehighcounty.org(link sends e-mail)
Matt Szuchyt
Deputy Director of Policy & Communications
Office of Senator Pat Browne
610-821-8468 mszuchyt@pasen.gov