YAKIMA, Wash. -- Homeless veterans will get help finding and paying for rental housing by the end of July under new funding secured by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

Murray’s office announced Thursday that the Yakima Housing Authority will receive 35 housing vouchers worth about $7,500 each, or a total of $262,500, for distribution to local vets.

The funding is part of a $3 million allocation statewide for homeless vets.

   “Each one of these vouchers means a year’s rent for someone who has sacrificed for our nation but is now sleeping on our streets,” Murray said in a news release.

   “With new service members returning home every day and the economy sputtering, we must step up our efforts to provide all veterans with housing and the dignity that comes with it.”

-- Leah Beth Ward