Gov. Tim Walz’s Initiative To End Veteran Homelessness In Minnesota

On Wednesday, July 31, Accord™ CEO Rita Wiersma attended a breakfast hosted by Gov. Tim Walz, where he invited property owners and landlords to come together and discuss the issue of veteran homelessness in Minnesota.

Gov. Walz is leading an effort to have Minnesota be declared the fourth state in the nation to put an end to veteran homelessness. He asked Accord™, along with other organizations that offer housing options for those with disabilities and mental health, to consider helping veterans experiencing homelessness by placing those on the veteran homeless registry in their own units.

“We really needed that landlord support in order to get housing for these last 207 veterans that are on our list. We are going to need about 450 units total,” Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs Commissioner Larry Herke told WCCO in an interview.

Many of the landlords in attendance felt the calling for help, and made the promise to dedicate space in their properties exclusively to veterans. Many of the veterans on the registry hold a voucher that covers the cost of housing.

So far, all levels of government working together has ended homelessness in half of the state.

For more on this story, visit WCCO’s website.