Written by Kristine Wylie,

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki, recently announced that homeless veterans and soldiers returning from war will soon have new options for housing.

The initiative will focus on the areas of Spokane and Vancouver, Washington.  The plan is to make vacant apartments in the two cities available to former servicemembers who need a place to live.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, working for the Evergreen State, recently thanked Shinseki and the VA publicly for making this opportunity possible in her state.

Senator Murray said, “I’m so pleased that veterans and their families in Spokane and Vancouver will have new opportunities to get off the streets and into safe and stable homes.”  She went on to say, “This is an important step forward in our effort to end veteran homelessness and will greatly assist veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan make a smoother transition home.”

Of the 75,000 homeless veterans living in the United State, 2,000 of them currently reside in the shelters or streets of Washington state. This is according to VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The VA offers a variety of veterans benefits to former and active duty military members of all walks of life. Many of the VA benefits packages are underused.  The government organization encourages everyone who thinks he or she may be eligible for military benefits to contact their local veteran’s office.