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Jennifer Zdon / The Times-Picayune TIMES-PICAYUNE PHOTOS Coldplay For three years after Hurricane Katrina, the Volunteers of America facility at 1002 Napoleon Ave. was used as housing for volunteers who arrived in the city to help with recovery efforts. A $291,850 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provided half the cost of renovating the Napoleon Avenue building so Volunteers of America could restore its homeless veterans program. New Car Clearance Dealers are going out of business, all vehicles are on sale now! Learn more Beginning this month, a transitional housing program for homeless veterans that shut down after Hurricane Katrina will once again accept clients. The Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans facility at 1002 Napoleon Ave., along with two independent-living homes in Mid-City, were heavily damaged during the storm. Their reopening means 56 new beds for homeless veterans in the New Orleans area, who number somewhere between 1,200 and 2,600 in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. Coldplay ALL TIMES-PICAYUNE PHOTOS » TIMES-PICAYUNE VIDEO 'See How A Mom Drops 47Lbs!' See how a mom of 3 drops 47lbs by obeying this 1 old rule... Learn more Many of the veterans have substance-abuse and mental-health problems and require support services to help them recover, said VOA President and CEO James LeBlanc. 'I Lost My Jiggly Fat' I lost 48 lbs of stomach fat by following 1 simple rule! Learn more "They served our country, and they're back and we just want to support them, " he said. Getting all of the VOA's hurricane-damaged housing programs back up and running after Katrina has been LeBlanc's biggest challenge. VIDEO: Navy pilot laid to rest in Slidell Video: borrow pit canal cleaning Movie trailer: "Bruno" Video: New The organization lost all 1,050 of its permanent housing units for working families and the elderly, LeBlanc said. Two hundred and fifty of the units have been restored, with 700 more in various stages of redevelopment, officials said. Most Commented on NOLA.com Other programs offered by the VOA, including adoption services, mentoring, after-school activities and services for those with chronic mental illness, were restored not long after Hurricane Katrina, LeBlanc said. comments The VOA operated the homeless veterans transitional housing program from http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/housing_for_homeless_veterans.html The stories you're talking about 188 139 comments New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin quarantine could last a week Alabama won't take as many out-of-state evacuees this year, governor says Page 1 of 3 Housing for homeless veterans reopens this month - NOLA.com Video: New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush Movie trailer: 'The Proposal' ALL TIMES-PICAYUNE VIDEOS » CONTESTS & EVENTS Get your news delivered for FREE! Shop The Times Picayune Store Check out our contests! 6/10/09 12:22 PM 2001 until Katrina struck, said Alan Kohorst, the organization's vice president of business and resource development. After that program was shut down, its Napoleon Avenue facility was used for three years as housing for volunteers who arrived in the city to help with recovery effort. The building ultimately provided temporary housing for about 30,000 volunteers. "We just came to the conclusion that the highest need was to be about housing the out-of-state volunteers, " LeBlanc said. But as the numbers of volunteers dwindled in 2008, the local office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs urged the VOA to restore the homeless veterans program, Kohorst said. The VA awarded the VOA a grant of $291,850 -- half of the cost of renovating the Napoleon Avenue building, Kohorst said. "Our challenge was that we had to go out to match or raise funds for right at $300,000, " he said. The organization raised the money through a capital campaign. Renovation work began Dec. 15, 2008, and now is complete. ADVERTISEMENT • Relocation.com will Save you Time and Money on your Move RELATED LINKS • Results from the Louisiana Lottery • Louisiana Real Estate • Louisiana MLS & Real Estate • Louisiana New & Used Cars • Louisiana Jobs comments 131 comments Burglars break into N.O. home of country's longest-serving police officer just hours after his death 82 Nagin, wife, security guard released from quarantine in China 73 Vieux Carre Commission opposes plans for cold storage site near French Quarter 62 Jury selection process begins in trial of former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson comments comments comments 61 comments 58 comments Unity of Greater New Orleans secured $450,000 from the state Department of Social Services for renovation of the two Mid-City independent-living facilities, Kohorst said. comments "It is a shameful situation that so many people who faithfully served their nation in the armed forces end up homeless, " Kegel said. "Homeless service providers need a closer partnership with the VA to ensure that veterans with complex disabilities, who are living in abandoned buildings and on the streets, get the housing and services they need." In the early phases of the VOA's housing effort, homeless veterans will reside at the 40-bed Napoleon Avenue facility. There, they will be provided semiprivate rooms, balanced meals, counseling, recreation and 12 classes to help them recover from substance abuse and mental health problems, Kohorst said. After graduating from that treatment program, they are assigned to one of the homes in Mid-City, where they will move toward independent living, continuing their therapy, finding jobs and preparing to resume lives on their own, Kohorst said. All veterans who want to participate in the program must go through a screening process and undergo an evaluation by the VA, so that their individual problems can be diagnosed and an individual therapeutic program can be designed, he said. Exhibits in Jefferson trial reveal payments to daughters' colleges 97 comments The VA pledged to provide continuing financial support for the veterans' care, Kohorst said. The transitional housing program for veterans is sorely needed to get more veterans off the streets, said Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity, a collaborative of 60 agencies working to meet needs of the homeless population. governor says 57 Man shot to death on Hollygrove Street New Orleans blues singer Marva Wright hospitalized after stroke Archdiocese explains move to divert millions in federal storm aid to two suburban parishes CRIME NEWS I Murdered My Skin Wrinkles! Local crime reports updated daily • New Orleans I am a 47 year Mom. Learn how I erased wrinkles with 2 FREE Products. Explore Now... • Interactive homicide map • NOPD crime alerts • East Jefferson • St. Bernard • St. Tammany • St. Charles & St. John • West Bank New Orleans Residents: Make $63/Hr Part-Time! $63/hr part-time jobs open. Requirements: Just a computer. Explore Now... The revival of residential programs for veterans meshes with an overall VOA strategy to maintain, and add to, its offerings in the core city, where medical and other support services are available. Less than a year after Katrina, the VOA reopened the Duvernay House, a 70unit single-room-occupancy apartment building on Canal Street. Six months later, the organization reopened 81 single-occupancy apartments on Tulane Avenue. Both serve people struggling with addictive disorders. New Orleans Mom Lost 15 lbs I Dropped 45 Lbs of Stomach Fat by Obeying this 1 Golden Rule. Among other VOA projects, a 200-apartment complex for the elderly, to be known as the Terraces on Tulane, is being built at 3615 Tulane Ave. Outside of New Orleans, the VOA is working with the Habitat for Humanity to develop 15 acres in Covington. The organization plans to build 140 housing units at the site, including rentals and units that will be sold, LeBlanc said. Valerie Faciane can be reached at vfaciane@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3342. Reddit Digg COMMENTS (4) Print this | Permalink del.icio.us NEWS FORUMS Sound Off • Here are a few less... by Birchslap • Warning to Wacko Libs.... by luckylou • Massive debt facts by vargburzum See more in News, News: New Orleans Send To A Friend | Explore Now... Google Facebook Buzz up! Orleans Parish • Obama's legacy by InflationMan • heart wreching letter to... by nolanative19 • hmmmmm by Lodging Post a comment St. Tammany Parish http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/housing_for_homeless_veterans.html Page 2 of 3 Housing for homeless veterans reopens this month - NOLA.com Posted by Tulaneguy 6/10/09 12:22 PM St. Tammany Parish • Eat? Where? by brazoriatx on 06/09/09 at 7:19AM • I don’t understand why... by patb66ne Good. we owe the vets a debt of gratitude. • Dog Training -... by J101 Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Jefferson Parish • Eat? Where? by brazoriatx Posted by movinalong • I don’t understand why... by patb66ne on 06/09/09 at 8:20AM • Dog Training -... by J101 good to see but still way off ..56 new units along side the 250 done;leaves alot of our vets still homeless,sad. Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Crime & Safety • Don't mess with Texas by countarnaud • Petty by BirdieXV • We need to do what NYC... by Birchslap Posted by jac1765 MORE FORUMS » on 06/09/09 at 8:22AM "It is a shameful situation that so many people who faithfully served their nation in the armed forces end up homeless," Kegel said. Yes it is! Inappropriate? Alert us. Posted by snixy1 Post a comment on 06/09/09 at 12:23PM Thank you for getting this done for the brave men who have served us well. Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Username (Don't Have a Username? Sign up here): Password: Remember Me Login Site Search Reset Search Local Business Listings Search by keyword, town name, Web ID and more... 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