Udall, Bennet: Senate Approves Funding to Help Jefferson County Fight Meth Trade, Provide Housing for Homeless Veterans
Omnibus Appropriations Bill Now Headed to President’s Desk
December 15, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, U.S. Senators for Colorado, today announced Senate approval of critical funding for Jefferson County to aid local efforts to fight methamphetamine use and provide housing for homeless veterans.
The funding was included, at Udall and Bennet’s request, in an Omnibus Appropriations bill approved by the Senate late yesterday. The bill is now headed to the president’s desk for his signature.
“I want to congratulate Jefferson County for its work to fight and respond to meth abuse. This funding will help continue the county’s coordinated response to the meth scourge,” Senator Udall said. “I was also proud to fight for funding for Jefferson County’s veterans’ housing project. Tragically, more than a quarter of our nation’s homeless are veterans, and I applaud Jefferson County’s plans to provide homeless veterans with a roof over their heads and the security they need to focus on getting their feet back on the ground.”
“With this funding, local law enforcement officials can tackle the growing meth scourge in their areas so that we can keep our kids drug-free and our communities safe,” Senator Bennet said. “And the veterans’ housing project will help do something all of us, as Coloradans and Americans, can support – giving Colorado veterans who have fallen on hard times a helping hand when they need it most.”
Details about the Jefferson County funding in the bill follow:
Methamphetamine Response Collaborative, $300,000
Law enforcement officials and the Colorado Department of Human Services Child Protection Intake are on track to receive $300,000 to fight methamphetamine use and trade in Jefferson County. Specifically, the funds will be used to help Jefferson County law enforcement agencies and the Department of Human Services Child Protection Intake respond to an increasing rate of investigations involving methamphetamines.
Jefferson County is currently developing a two-pronged approach that includes the enhancement of strategies and infrastructure for interdiction of methamphetamine production and distribution and the development of protocol for teamed responses between law enforcement and social services personnel. However, physical needs, as they relate to structural cleanup within the community, remain unaddressed.
Jefferson County Veterans’ Housing Project – $487,000
The Jefferson County Veterans’ Project, in cooperation with the Jefferson County Housing Authority, is on track to receive $487,000 to establish a new program of housing and supportive services for homeless veterans.
The Housing Authority has also committed to provide long-term permanent housing for the veterans at the end of the two-year transition period. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that on any given night, there are over 200,000 homeless veterans sleeping on the streets and in doorways of our nation’s cities. Nearly 400,000 veterans experience homelessness over the course of a year.
By: Tara Trujillo (202) 224-5941
