New $300,000 grant for homeless veterans

Congresswoman Laura Richardson has announced a new  $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help struggling homeless veterans.

 The grant is from the U.S. Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, and it's earmarked for the United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS) in Long Beach, according deputy press secretary Ken Miller.

"Homelessness is a tragedy no matter who the individual is; however, when the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the benefit of our freedom come home and are not able to enjoy basic liberties that is a tragedy, which I am committed to solving,"  Richardson said in a prepared statement.

 "As a Long Beach resident, I have personally witnessed the good work U.S. VETS has done with our veterans who have faced the difficulties of homelessness and unemployment. This grant will allow them to aid our veterans at an even greater scale, by giving them the lifelong benefits of job skills and training to be prepared for the current employment market."

The award, which is one of 97 similar grants awarded nationwide, will provide approximately 175 homeless Long Beach veterans with job training to help them succeed in civilian careers.

U.S. VETS of Long Beach is the largest of 12 U.S. VETS sites, which is the largest provider of transitional housing and supportive services for veterans in the United States.

The grants are combined with available social services to provide holistic assistance for reintegrating veteran men and women into the labor force and communities.

 U.S. VETS assist more than 500 veterans in the Long Beach region.

Congresswoman Richardson is a Democrat from California's 37th Congressional District, which  includes Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Watts, Willowbrook and Signal Hill.