Senator Burr continues to champion help for the homeless
On a sunny day in May, Senator Burr came to Raleigh to speak to advocates and elected officials from across the state, gathered at a luncheon at Marbles Kids Museum. The luncheon was the kick-off event for the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Leadership Summit.
The senator’s message to those involved in ending homelessness was simple: Keep it up. It’s an uphill, often complicated battle. Keep it up. Homeless people deserve opportunity and a supportive environment just like everyone else. Keep it up. The work that you are doing to combat these issues at the local level is making a difference. Keep it up.
In return, he offered to keep up his end of the bargain: championing and obtaining support for federal legislation that will impact the effectiveness of our work here in North Carolina. Last week, good news from the Senate arrived that assured us he was in fact keeping it up back at work in Washington. The Senate passed the Veteran’s Mental Health Improvement Act of 2008, which includes Burr’s Services to Prevent Veterans Homelessness Act.
Burr’s piece of legislation would:
· provide supportive services to keep low-income veterans in permanent housing so they do not become homeless.
· provide veterans with greater access to housing assistance, physical and mental health services, health insurance, and vocational and financial counseling.
The improvement in investment and coordination of services is crucial for our state, because North Carolina is home to over 770,000 veterans and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that over 40,000 North Carolina veterans live in poverty.