Healy, Santiago mark progress on statewide 'End Veterans Homelessness' campaign at New Bedford Veterans Transition House

Governor Maura Healey visited the Veterans Transition House (VTH) in New Bedford on the state’s campaign to end veterans homelessness, saying local teamwork has helped the city reach “functional zero” veteran homelessness and reporting statewide program enrollments and housing placements since the initiative began a year earlier.

Healey said the statewide effort has enrolled more than 500 veterans, with about 100 placed in permanent housing and about 100 in transitional housing; she and Secretary of Veterans Services John Santiago also said hundreds of families received financial assistance and more than 300 veteran housing units are in the pipeline. “No one who served our country should ever have to worry about where they’re gonna sleep at night,” Healey said.

The announcement at VTH — a nonprofit that provides transitional and supportive housing — included remarks from Secretary Santiago and VTH Executive Director Jim Reed, a presentation of a gubernatorial citation recognizing Reed’s years of service, and a veteran’s personal account of recovery and employment at VTH.

Healey framed the event as part of a broader administration push combining legislation and new state programs. She cited passage of the HERO Act and the Affordable Homes Act as part of the administration’s work expanding veterans’ access to services and housing. “When we took office, we learned though that on any given night, there may be hundreds of veterans in our state who don't have what folks here in New Bedford have,” Healey said. “We were determined to do something about it.”

Santiago described the campaign’s operating approach as an “all hands on deck” strategy that brings housing experts, case managers, veteran service officers and community providers together across the Commonwealth. He summarized progress as support for more than 500 enrolled veterans and nearly 200 veterans receiving housing, and said state investments are paired with local relationships to prevent and end homelessness among veterans. “It’s about tearing down those silos and making services easier to navigate,” Santiago said.

Jim Reed, VTH executive director, outlined VTH programs and recent capital improvements, saying the organization’s work began in 1990 and has grown from a 10-bed program to multiple programs including the EOBS transitional housing program at 1060 Pleasant Street, an outreach center at 1297 Pleasant Street, the HOPE program for substance-related housing barriers, and partnerships that produced 30 units of permanent supportive housing in 2020. Reed said those programs serve veterans at different stages of need and rely on a mix of state, federal and private funding, including a $1,300,000 capital campaign for recent facility work.

A veteran who said he came to VTH after a period of homelessness and later became a staff member, Brian Concacio, told attendees that transitional services and case management helped him return to school and to steady employment. “They opened the doors with open arms,” Concacio said of VTH. He described graduating the program, returning as an employee, and later earning a bachelor’s degree and working with youth in New Bedford.

At the event, Healey and Santiago presented Reed with a governor’s citation recognizing his years of leadership at VTH. Reed told the audience he is retiring after nearly two decades as executive director; the citation was presented on behalf of the residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The officials named several partner agencies and programs that contributed to the work discussed at the event: the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), MassHousing, federal grant programs such as Grant Per Diem and the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, and local providers and philanthropic donors including the Alfaro family and Women’s Development Corporation. Reed said VTH’s programs operate with funding from federal VA grants, state contributions and private philanthropy.

Officials did not provide a complete line-item accounting of the funding sources announced at the event; Healey and Santiago referred to “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in direct assistance to veterans and to specific program tallies given above. Reed said VTH serves “over 200 veterans every year” across its programs and noted that the EOBS transitional program currently houses up to 25 veterans. Reed also said HOPE has expanded from 30 to 40 veterans served for one-year moving-assistance grants.

The event brought state and local leaders together with providers and advocates to showcase New Bedford’s approach and to press for scaling the model statewide. Officials repeatedly framed the work as collaborative and incremental: identifying veterans who need help, removing financial barriers to using existing housing vouchers, and increasing the supply of veteran-specific housing units.

Healey and Santiago said they will continue to pursue housing development, prevention funding and coordination between state and local providers. No new state rulemaking, regulation, formal contract awards, or budget votes were announced at the event.

The presentation concluded with group photographs and remarks honoring Reed’s service; officials said the administration will continue the statewide campaign to end veteran homelessness and to expand supports for veterans and their families.