VeteranWINS® grant program addresses veteran homelessness and sustainable housing

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation today announced that its third annual VeteranWINS® grant program will donate $300,000 across nine nonprofits to address sustainable housing for military veterans. Awarded through a competitive application process, VeteranWINS grants support community-based nonprofits focused on addressing veteran homelessness, transitional housing, and low- to moderate-income veteran home rehabilitation.

“Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to live, especially our veterans, who have already sacrificed so much for our country,” said Jeff Chavannes, VeteranWINS program manager at Wells Fargo and an Army veteran. “The VeteranWINS program is just one way Wells Fargo is doing our part to ensure veterans are being taken care of. We are proud to support the great work these nonprofits are doing for veterans in their communities.”

Launched in 2016, the VeteranWINS grant program has awarded a total of $600,000 in grants for nonprofits to directly support housing programs that address veteran homelessness.

The 2018 VeteranWINS program grants are awarded to:

Large Communities: Five $40,000 Grants

• Collingswood, N.J. – Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. Funding will be used to help veterans overcome common, significant obstacles when transitioning back into the community, such as procuring photo IDs and other pertinent documents, covering moving costs and security deposits, and gaining access to efficient utilities.
• El Paso, Texas – Opportunity Center for the Homeless. Funding will be used for needed upgrades to the kitchen and dining space for up to 20 homeless veterans supported on any given day in the transitional living center.
• Los Angeles – New Directions for Veterans. Funding will be used to install an electric door lock system throughout the highly trafficked Veteran Opportunity Center to better ensure the safety of the homeless male veterans who utilize the 112 transitional and 40 bridge housing bed units the center supports.
• Phoenix – Catholic Charities Community Services, Inc. Funding will be used to rehab rooms as part of a larger renovation of a space that supports 70 veterans in a homeless, transitional program by installing closets, shelving, and bedding during the final phase.
• San Antonio, Texas – Soldiers’ Angels. Funding will be used to purchase a cargo van that will help provide supportive services, such as mobile food distributions, box lunch deliveries, and hygiene kit distributions. This will help reach more homebound veterans who do not have access to transportation.

Small to Medium Communities: Four $25,000 Grants

• Augusta, Maine – Betsy Ann Ross House of Hope. Funding will be used to replace the roof and siding of the Homeless Women Veterans shelter. These fixes will enable the organization to start work on their “step up” efficiency unit in support of veterans who are ready to begin transitioning to permanent, independent housing.
• Bloomsburg, Pa. – Columbia County Housing Corporation. Funding will be used for the Eagle Scout project of a Life Scout who is working with the Columbia County Housing Corporation and the Department of Veterans Affairs in Wilkes-Barre to build a small house for a veteran in need. The home will be a 550-square-foot, stick-built, sustainable house located in Berwick, Pa.
• Sheridan, Wyo. – Volunteers of America Northern Rockies. Funding will be used for supportive service common areas for up to 31 homeless veterans. The grant will provide upgrades to appliances and wardrobe closets to improve food storage and food preparation and provide a place to wash, dry and store personal belongings.
• Waterloo, Iowa – Americans for Independent Living. Funding will be used to complete a second veterans’ transitional home. This will help enable more veterans to become independent and productive in the community as they graduate from transitional housing to their own safe and affordable permanent housing.

Since 2012, Wells Fargo has donated more than $100 million to support military members, veterans and their families through sustainable housing initiatives, financial education, and career transition. Included in this total, the company has donated more than 350 homes, valued at over $55 million, to veterans in all 50 states, and the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has provided more than $10.5 million in grants to veteran-related nonprofits since 2012. Learn more at www.wellsfargo.com/military and http://stories.wf.com/military.

About the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation

Since its inception in 1993, the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has invested more than $190 million in affordable housing initiatives serving low- and moderate-income households – including for seniors, veterans, and families – through community revitalization efforts. It has mobilized more than 4.7 million team member volunteer hours to build and rehabilitate nearly 7,100 homes and counting. Learn more at www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate-responsibility/community-giving/housing-foundation.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,200 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2017 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

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Stacie Bendixen, 515-398-7157

[email protected]

@SBendixenWF

Source: Wells Fargo & Company

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