The Cleveland Veteran Affairs Medical Center says they're one step closer to ending veteran homelessness in Ohio with the opening of two new facilities.

Barbara Karam, supervisor for the Akron and Cleveland Community Resource and Referral Centers, says the new facilities were launched following President Barack Obama's 2009 plan to help end veteran homelessness.

"The goal is to address homelessness and end among veterans in a five-year plan," said Karam.

In 2011, Karam says more than 70 veterans were without a home in Summit County.

Veteran Resource Center Opens In Akron by Amani Abraham

The new facility on 111 E. Voris Street in Akron will focus on finding housing for veterans and will offer mental health and substance abuse services.

"We are a homeless drop-in center for veterans who are at-risk of being homeless or are currently homeless. Whether it's a chronic homeless situation or a newly homeless situation that they've fallen upon."

Karam says the new facility will help veterans in more ways than just finding a housing.

"As social workers and case managers, we're triaging them and assessing them to determine what's causing them to be homeless. Is it employment? Is it a disability? Is it a mental illness?" 

Both facilities in Akron and Cleveland are open to the public.

More details can be found at http://www.cleveland.va.gov/crrc.asp.