MILWAUKEE — Federal budget cuts have begun to impact veteran services in Milwaukee, local veterans told TMJ4.
The Center for Veterans Issues (CVI) is a nonprofit working to keep homeless veterans off the street.
On Wednesday, CVI released a letter to recipients of their Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program called "Operation Turning Point" that federal funding cuts have started to affect them.
The letter states in part: "Due to no fault of our own, our federal grant has been cut. That grant provides programming and subsidies for your housing and officially ends on April 30."
They called this news "a shock to us and the community."
The organization writes in the notice that they are committed to helping residents transition into their next housing situation, suggesting they find their own housing, apply for Section 8, or apply for another available CVI building.
Watch: Federal funding cuts threaten housing programs for homeless veterans
Robert Leo Crawford, an Air Force veteran, has lived in housing run by CVI for 11 years. As of now, his building has not been affected by funding cuts.
"It keeps us off the street, someplace secure," Crawford said of the program. He describes it as a lifeline for many of the people who live there.
"There are some guys in here that are really sick; they need all the services they can get."
Craig Bartelt, another U.S. veteran, has lived in the same building as Crawford for six months.
"There's a good veteran fellowship here," Bartelt told TMJ4.
Though both of their housing is secure for now, Crawford said federal impacts on similar VA programs are a concern.
"With these cuts coming along, I don't know how it's going to end up. We worked for it, we served—it’s like cutting Social Security. We paid into that. How are you gonna say, 'Oh, we give you too much money?'"
TMJ4 asked both veterans how they would react if they were forced to leave their housing.
"Unfortunately, some people are physically and mentally unable to do that here, so it would probably affect them worse than me," Bartelt said.
"I'd be pissed off, and I'd have to sleep under a bridge," Crawford told TMJ4.
TMJ4 asked the Center for Veterans Issues for comment on the funding cuts.
They did not respond as of publication.
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