A roof for our veterans

Two serious San Francisco problems — chronic homelessness and high rents — are getting badly needed attention. City leaders are bundling federal and city money in a stream that could run for a decade to house the estimated 1 in 5 homeless who are vets living on the streets.

The plan debuted by Mayor Ed Lee comes with a striking pledge: all of the chronically homeless vets will get long- term housing by the end of the year. As political promises go, it’s an ambitious one aimed at the vexing issue of reducing the city’s drifting army of homeless.

The approach, under way in 25 cities including Oakland and San Jose, uses Veterans Affairs funds and local money to rent quarters for homeless vets with substance abuse or mental health problems. In San Francisco, homeless point man Bevan Dufty estimates there are 700 vets living among an outdoor homeless population of 3,400. While many of the vets have found housing, there remains a need to find living quarters by the year’s end for 250 ex- service members.

It’s a sizable number, given the city’s housing crunch and high costs. Rent vouchers in the range of $ 1,200 to $ 2,000 don’t go far, but Dufty claims that several landlords have taken on vets at below market rates out of respect for their military service.

The focus on vets is a worthwhile one, and it follows another promising plan, barely a month old, that routes people living in street camps directly into social services and longterm housing with a minimum of red tape and waiting. San Francisco may be making progress on a neglected topic.