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 "Our veterans have put their lives on the line serving our
country. They deserve the best care and opportunities when they
return home," Blagojevich said. "Here in Illinois, we are not going
to let our veterans fall through the cracks without the medical care
or help they need. The Prince Home at Manteno will serve as model
for the rest of the nation in terms of providing housing, medical
assistance and job training to help our disabled and homeless
veterans."
Deputy Gov. Louanner Peters, IDVA Director Tammy Duckworth,
Capital Development Board Deputy Director Jim Riemer and Illinois
Housing Development Authority Assistant Director of Multifamily
Programs Stephen Gladden, as well as numerous other state and local
officials and representatives of veterans organizations, attended
the open house of the Prince Home at Manteno.
"The men and women who have served in uniform have fought for our
freedoms so that we can live out our dreams," Duckworth said. "We
need to make sure that we give them the same opportunities that they
have allowed us to have, including access to health care, jobs and
affordable housing. This new Prince Home is one more example of the
leadership the state of Illinois has shown in caring for our
veterans."
Homelessness is a crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of
veterans across the nation. According to estimates from the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs, nearly 200,000 veterans are homeless
on any given night around the nation, and nearly 400,000 experience
homelessness over the course of a year.
Although a majority of veterans are single, local providers
across the country are reporting that an increasing number of
veterans with children are seeking assistance. Most homeless
veterans come from poor communities, and more than 45 percent suffer
from a mental illness, according to the U.S. DVA. 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 Prince Home at Manteno will provide quality housing,
advocacy, therapeutic and supportive services to 15 veterans who
cannot live independently. The program will be staffed by a program
director, a caseworker, two addiction counselors and one psychiatric
nurse. Seventy-five percent of the veterans in the program will be
homeless individuals referred by federal VA medical centers and IDVA
officers. The other 25 percent of the residents will be homeless
veterans referred by the Veterans' Assistance Commission and
community providers.
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 "It is an honor to be part of the Illinois Department of
Veterans' Affairs' team in ensuring all Illinois veterans get
optimum supportive services, enabling them to continue on with their
lives with dignity and integrity," added Deanna Mackey, program
director for the Prince Home at Manteno.
The Prince Home at Manteno has single-dwelling units equipped
with semi-private bathrooms and kitchenettes, new carpet, laundry
facilities, and other improvements for its residents. The program
will offer on-site medical assistance, job training and all the
other services available to those who currently reside at the
Manteno Home.
The construction of the Prince Home at Manteno was funded through
$1,366,000 in state and federal grants and has been implemented by
IDVA. The program will help keep homeless veterans -- 60 percent of
whom spend time in prison -- out of incarceration facilities.
"Under Governor
Blagojevich's leadership, the Illinois Housing Development Authority
allocated $816,000 from the State Affordable Housing Trust Fund to
help make the Prince Home a reality for America's true heroes, our
veterans," said IHDA Executive Director DeShana L. Forney. "Prince
Homes gives our veterans the independence to live in safe,
affordable housing and address the unique housing needs in Manteno's
communities."
"I am proud to be a part of Governor Blagojevich's commitment to
the long-term care of our veterans," said Capital Development Board
Executive Director Jan Grimes. "This facility at Manteno will
provide our heroes with the atmosphere and services they deserve."
The Prince Home at Manteno will officially open in the coming
months and will help provide housing and supportive services for 15
disabled, homeless Illinois veterans. To find out more or to summit
an application, call 815-468-6581, ext. 355, or visit
http://www.state.il.us/agency/dva/homes/.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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