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February 8, 2007 DENVER, COLORADO. Homeless veterans in 30 cities around the nation will benefit from a new federal initiative to more closely integrate treatment for substance abuse and mental health conditions. On a visit to Denver, Colorado last week for a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor John Hickenlooper for a new VA-funded transitional housing project for homeless veterans at Denver C.A.R.E.S, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson (pictured here) joined by White House Director of National Drug Control Policy John Walters announced that the VA will be placing 30 substance abuse counselors in cities including Denver to provide counseling to homeless veterans at homeless provider sites.
The other cities receiving counselors are: Albuquerque, NM; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati and Cleveland, OH; Columbia, SC; Dallas and Houston, TX: Detroit, MI; Gainesville, FL; Indianapolis, IN; Iowa City, IA; Las Vegas, NV; Little Rock, AR; Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, CA; Memphis, TN; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; Montrose and Syracuse, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Salisbury, NC; St. Louis, MO and West Haven, CT.
In making the announcement, Secretary Nicholson said, "By partnering with cities like Denver, and its community and faith based service providers, we are making progress in fighting veteran homelessness across the nation." He added, " Helping these veterans get off the streets and become substance free so they may successfully return to independent living in their communities is a priority."
National Drug Policy Director Walters called the initiative "critical outreach on the part of Veterans Affairs", noting that "with proper diagnosis and intervention, the disease of addiction is treatable, as with other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. By implementing onsite counseling at transitional facilities, we help recovering vets get one step closer to being back on their feet."
The effort is consistent with the recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which called for more integration between mental health and substance abuse treatment to create a more recovery oriented mental health system.
- To read more about the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, click here.
- To read more about VA homeless veterans assistance programs, including the "grant and per diem" program through which Denver C.A.R.E.S transitional housing units were funded, click here.
- To read more about the work of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, click here.
- To read more about Denver C.A.R.E.S, part of Denver Health Medical Center, and Denver's 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, click here.
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