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The construction and program
startup will be funded through $1,562,000 in state and federal
grants and will be implemented by the Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs. "The men and women who put their lives on the
line to serve our country deserve our respect and gratitude. It's
terribly unjust that some of our veterans are living on the streets
without the medical care or help they need. This expansion at the
Manteno Veterans Home will help provide shelter, medical assistance
and job training to help disabled veterans live in dignity,"
Blagojevich said.
Federal, state and local officials broke ground Aug. 3 for the
expansion project at the Manteno Veterans Home. Top state officials
participating on behalf of the governor were Roy Dolgos, director of
the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs; Kelly King Dibble,
executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority;
and Janet Grimes, executive director of the Capital Development
Board.
"Those men and women of Illinois who have borne the battle in
military service to our country have earned our help and support,"
said Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. "This new veterans home is one more example
of the leadership the state of Illinois has shown in caring for our
veterans. I commend Governor Blagojevich for this latest
achievement, and I am proud that our state has created another
national model for veterans care."
By transforming the Manteno Homeless Program into a permanent
supportive housing program, the state will be able to meet a
statewide need for a homeless veterans program operated in
collaboration with providers of veterans services. The pilot program
will:
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Provide quality
housing and supportive services to 15 veterans who cannot live
independently.
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Serve as a national
model for how to overcome challenges in financing housing for
physically disabled veterans and veterans suffering
post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Tap into federal
resources that are available only to programs located on VA home
properties in the state, becoming the first homeless veterans
program in the nation to make use of these funds.
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Cost the state less
than $7,000 per year, per veteran in operating and supportive
service expenses.
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Keep homeless
veterans -- 60 percent of whom spend time in prison -- out of
incarceration facilities.
Homelessness is a crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of
veterans across the nation. According to U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs estimates, nearly 300,000 veterans are homeless on any given
night, and more than 500,000 experience homelessness over the course
of a year.
Homeless veterans are mostly males, and more than half are people
of color. Although a majority of veterans are single, local
providers across the country report that an increasing number of
veterans with children are seeking assistance. Most homeless
veterans are poor and more than 40 percent suffer from a mental
illness, according to information from the National Coalition for
Homeless Veterans.
According to veterans organizations, veterans are at high risk of
becoming homeless due to low or no income, substandard housing
conditions, and lack of access to affordable health care. A large
number of at-risk veterans also live with post-traumatic stress
disorder and addictions acquired during -- or exacerbated by --
their military service.
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans has indicated that
homelessness among veterans is a nationwide problem requiring a
national solution. The coalition has recommended an increase in
funding at both the federal and state levels for the array of
housing, work force development and health care programs available
to veterans.
"Supportive housing has always been the missing piece in treating
the toughest cases. This is a great start, and I hope it can be
replicated elsewhere," said George Basher, director of the New York
Division of Veterans Affairs and president of the National
Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs.
"This pilot is a new road to hope for homeless veterans -- a new
road to access housing, health care, benefits, and a new road for
these veterans to rejoin their rightful place in society," said Pete
Dougherty, director of VA programs for homeless veterans.
The program at Manteno will be staffed by a program director,
caseworker, two addiction counselors and a psychiatric nurse.
Seventy-five percent of the veterans in the program will be homeless
individuals referred by federal VA medical centers and Illinois
Department of Veterans' Affairs officers. The additional 25 percent
of residents will be homeless veterans referred by the Veterans'
Assistance Commission and community providers.
The renovations at Manteno's Prince Building will allow the
Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide residents with
single dwelling units equipped with semiprivate bathrooms and
kitchenettes, new carpet, laundry facilities, and other
improvements.
The program will also offer its residents on-site medical
assistance, job training and all the other services available to
those who currently reside at the Manteno Veterans Home.
"This program will serve as an innovative model for the rest of
the nation to emulate as a way to combat homelessness among the
brave men and women who fought for this country," said Dolgos, of
the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.
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 "Governor Blagojevich's 2005 Building for Success: Illinois
Comprehensive Housing Plan identified the homeless community,
including homeless war veterans, as one of the priority populations
targeted for affordable housing spending," said Dibble, director of
the Illinois Housing Development Authority. "The governor also
signed the Comprehensive Housing Planning Bill in June to ensure
that the housing needs of the state's homeless continue to be
addressed for many more years to come. IHDA is proud to allocate
$816,000 from the State Affordable Housing Trust Fund to finance the
Manteno Veterans Home."
"Today we celebrate an important pilot program," said Grimes,
director of the Capital Development Board. "Tomorrow, the work
continues in earnest to make this building a first-class facility
worthy of the sacrifices these warriors made for our country. All of
us at CDB are going to do everything we can to ensure that the
Prince Building becomes a secure, comfortable and welcoming home."
Since 2003, Blagojevich has taken several measures and launched a
number of initiatives to help the state's veterans, including:
Expanding care and treatment of veterans
Last spring, the governor signed into law his landmark Veterans
Care, a health insurance initiative that will provide access to
affordable, comprehensive health care to thousands of veterans
across Illinois. The program will help up to 9,000 veterans in
Illinois who currently earn too much to qualify for Veterans
Administration health care but cannot afford to purchase health
insurance in the private market.
Top officials from the governor's administration recently broke
ground on a new 80-bed addition to the LaSalle Veterans Home.
Blagojevich directed $13 million to build the 60,000-square-foot
unit, which will allow the facility to serve dozens more of the
state's disabled veterans. The expansion will allow the home to
admit 40 residents into the Alzheimer's unit and 40 more into the
skilled care unit, as well as hire 60 to 65 additional employees.
Protecting veterans and their families
This year, the governor signed the following legislation into
law:
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Senate Bill 916, which protects military personnel and their
families against the inadvertent loss of health insurance after
a tour of duty or an honorable discharge from military service.
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Senate Bill 1144, which shields grieving military families
from protests during funerals and memorial services of fallen
soldiers. The "Let Them Rest in Peace" law requires protesters
to stay at least 200 feet away from family and friends as they
mourn soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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House Bill 4121, which punishes individuals who falsely
claim to be decorated war heroes. The new law creates criminal
charges and imposes penalties on individuals falsely
representing themselves as recipients of various military
honors, including the Purple Heart, the Congressional Medal of
Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, the Air
Force Cross, the Silver Star and the Bronze Star.
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House Bill 4822, which protects Illinois veterans from
discrimination in employment and housing by changing the
definition of military status in the state's Human Rights Act.
Under the new law, military status now includes veterans of the
armed forces of the United States, reserve components of the
armed forces of the United States, the Illinois Army National
Guard and the Illinois Air National Guard.
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House Bill 4703, which strengthens consumer protections for
active military members under the Illinois Patriot Plan. The new
law imposes penalties on companies for offenses such as
canceling life insurance policies or turning off heat while
soldiers are deployed.
Helping veterans get the benefits they are entitled to
Last year, following through on a promise made during his 2005
State of the State address, the governor hired 25 veteran service
officers and deployed them across the state to significantly improve
the state's outreach to the 1 million Illinois veterans and their
families. Thanks to the increase in staffing, the service officers
have helped more than 5,000 additional veterans apply for and
receive federal compensation and other benefits during the first
quarter of 2006, compared with the same time period in 2005.
On May 20, the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs hosted a
Supermarket of Veterans Benefits, where hundreds of central Illinois
veterans were able to get information about their federal benefits
and services, as well as connect with educational opportunities and
job openings. This followed similar events last year in Chicago,
Springfield and DuQuoin.
Expanding funding of state programs and services for veterans
Earlier this year, the governor announced that just three months
after going on sale, the state's first lottery ticket designed to
benefit Illinois veterans and their families had generated more than
$1.9 million for veterans. Veterans Cash is the first instant ticket
in Illinois Lottery history with a portion of the proceeds helping
fund state programs and services for veterans.
[News release from the governor's
office]
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