WASHINGTON, March 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National League of Cities (NLC) today announced the "Homeless Veteran Leadership Network" (HVLN), a national effort to challenge cities to meet the Administration's goal to end veteran homelessness in 2015. Sixteen cities have initially signed on to the HVLN to meet the Administration's recent challenge to mayors by partnering with community stakeholders and offering support for strategies to end veteran homelessness. Each HVLN city will engage in a "friendly competition" with another comparable city to be the next community to achieve this goal. The HVLN is co-chaired by NLC President Chris Coleman, Mayor of Saint Paul, Minn., NLC 1^st Vice President Ralph Becker, Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah and Mayor Greg Stanton of Phoenix, Ariz.

"It is a tragedy that even a single veteran faces homelessness after serving in our nation's armed forces," said NLC President Chris Coleman, Mayor of Saint Paul, Minn. "I challenge all municipal leaders to engage in a friendly competition to advance creative solutions to end veteran homelessness by 2015. By partnering with both national and community stakeholders across the country, we can achieve the Administration's goal to end veteran homelessness and give back to the men and women who have sacrificed on our behalf."

In 2013, NLC helped facilitate a "friendly competition" between Phoenix and Salt Lake City to see which city could end veteran homelessness first. Recently, both cities have announced that they succeeded in ending chronic veteran homelessness.

Participating cities will connect with existing and emerging efforts in their communities, form community partnerships and offer strong municipal support for strategies that put an end to veteran homelessness. The initial cities participating in the HVLN include:

• Saint Paul, Minn.
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Minneapolis, Minn.
• New Orleans, La.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Washington, D.C.
• Miami, Fla.
• Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Eugene, Ore.
• Joplin, Mo.
• Waco, Texas
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Little Rock, Ark.
• Pittsburgh, Pa.

For more information on how to join the HVLN, email veterans@nlc.org.

The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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SOURCE National League of Cities