A Tennessee Veteran's Story - VA Homeless Programs
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A Tennessee Veteran's Story

A Veteran Success Story in Ending Veteran Homelessness

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Landlord Provides a Window Into the Ways to House a Veteran
A Tennessee Veteran's Story  |  Nov. 9, 2015

The Challenge

It was Sept. 30 and the window for getting a Tennessee Veteran housed within the fiscal year was rapidly closing. The Veteran secured a Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing voucher and located a home. But a public housing authority-required home inspection found the apartment had a broken window. This small issue had the potential to be a big problem: Waiting to replace the window could stall the lease signing and put the Veteran’s apartment at risk.

The Fix

The inspector and landlord quickly realized that a routine home repair shouldn’t jeopardize a Veteran’s shot at permanent housing. Except for the broken window, the inspection found that the home was safe. And so the inspector and landlord worked together: the inspector would allow the apartment to pass inspection if the landlord had the window fixed by Oct. 2. They were committed to finding a solution so the Veteran could sign the lease and move in.

But would the home improvement store have the right window in stock? The landlord raced to the store and found that the correct window was indeed in stock. He returned the same day with the model needed to make the replacement. The Veteran could sign the lease.

The Result

At 4:40 p.m., the landlord came to the local VA office with the lease and handed over the keys to the Veteran. Thanks to the inspector’s flexibility and the landlord’s quick window repair, he became the final Veteran housed in the fiscal year.

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