AUGUSTA, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) attended the 21st Annual Homeless Veterans Stand Down at Togus VA Medical Center. The yearly event highlights services and resources for veterans who are homeless or in transitional housing, and helps connect at-risk veterans with the tools they need to find long-term housing. 

“Maine’s veterans answered the call to uphold our freedoms and keep our nation safe,” said Senator King. “Through their service, these men and women have earned our eternal gratitude and support – but unfortunately, far too many of our veterans face the challenge of homelessness. That’s why events like today’s are so important – there are resources, both at Togus and in communities across Maine, to help support the veterans who have made so many sacrifices on behalf of our country, and today’s event helps connect veterans in need with these services. By bringing together those in need with those who can help, we can help our veterans secure the safe, stable, long-term housing they deserve.” 

Senator King has been a strong advocate for veterans issues since arriving in Washington. Last month, he joined a panel featuring veterans’ healthcare experts and caregivers at the Portland Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), to highlight common suicide risk factors and warning signs for suicide, provided information about VA mental health and suicide prevention resources, and emphasized the importance of starting the conversation around veteran mental health. Also in September, he applauded the House and Senate’s passage of the MilCon-VA Conference Report, which aims to consolidate and improve VA community care programs, as well as improve VA’s ability to hire high-quality healthcare professionals, expand VA caregiver benefits to veterans of all eras and establish a process to evaluate and reform VA’s existing facilities to best serve veterans. In June, his bill to strengthen accountability of senior executives at the VA was signed into law. In May, he held a listening session with Maine veterans on the qualities and values they are looking for in a new VA Secretary, and in April Senator King visited the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat in Rome, which brings injured veterans and their families to Maine in order to help the veterans overcome physical obstacles with the support of family members. The Senator also highlighted the important place of veterans in Maine by devoting his November 2017 and December 2017 podcasts to the subject, with Travis Mills as one of the guests on the latter show. In December 2017, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will fund three new positions in Maine to better serve justice-involved Maine veterans confronting homelessness, mental health or substance abuse issues – a move which follows a February letter from Senator King to the VA urging additional resources on the topic. Senator King was a cosponsor of the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, which passed the Senate in June 2017 and has since been signed into law.