MassHousing’s Tom Lyons Appointed to VA Committee on Homeless Veterans
Will advise VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki on the needs and programs for the homeless
BOSTON, MA – May 6, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — MassHousing’s Manager of Community Services Tom Lyons has been appointed to a national advisory committee on homeless veterans by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
Lyons, a Wakefield resident who has been MassHousing’s Manager of Community Services for nine years, was named by Shinseki to the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. As a committee member, Lyons will provide advice on issues related to the needs of homeless veterans and assess the effectiveness of VA policies and programs for homeless veterans.
“I am honored to be appointed by Secretary Eric Shinseki to this very important committee to end homelessness among our nation’s veterans,” said Lyons. “I believe my 30 years experience within the veterans’ community at the local and state levels will bring a different and unique perspective to help end this epidemic of homelessness and return the dignity and respect that these men and women have earned through their selfless service to America.”
Lyons was selected by Governor Deval Patrick and Lt. Governor Timothy Murray to co-chair the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Council Subcommittee on Veterans Housing in 2008. As a result, Lyons was involved in the creation of MassHousing’s A Home for the Brave mortgage program for Massachusetts veterans, which was announced by the Patrick-Murray administration July 2008.
In January 2011, Lyons was appointed by Governor Patrick to serve on the Board of Directors for the Chelsea Soldiers Home.
He recently was honored by the University of Massachusetts at Boston with the Robert H. Quinn Award for Outstanding Community Leadership for his 30 years of work on behalf of veterans and their families.
Lyons, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and a South Boston native, spent 10 years as Boston’s Deputy Commissioner for Veterans and seven years as Executive Director of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans before joining MassHousing.
He is a founding member of the committee that created the South Boston Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1981 and the founder and president of the Boston Semper Fidelis Society, which every November hosts the nation’s largest annual Marine Corps Birthday luncheon and assists with charitable efforts for veterans and their families.
About MassHousing
Celebrating its 45th anniversary, MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $13 billion for affordable housing. For more information, visit the MassHousing website at www.masshousing.com, follow us on Twitter @MassHousing, subscribe to our blog and Like us on Facebook.
Contacts
Eric Gedstad: 617.854.1079 | egedstad (at) masshousing (dot) com
Tom Farmer: 617.854.1843 | tfarmer (at) masshousing (dot) com
