Washington – Homeless shelters in six different jurisdictions will receive more than $1.6 million to supply permanent housing for more than 180 veterans across Maryland, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced. Learn more.

The resources come through HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program as the nation works to significantly reduce the number of veterans living on the streets.

HUD also awarded $1.4 million in grants to provide permanent housing for extremely low-income Marylanders living with HIV/AIDS through the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program. Read the release.

Governor O’Malley has pledged to make homelessness a rare and brief occurrence by 2015. In January 2011, there were an estimated 7,747 individuals in Maryland – a two percent decline, according to HUD’s most recent point-in-time survey. That count included more than 1,033 homeless families and 592 veterans, HUD reported.