"For us, it meant having somebody from our veterans affairs department at the homeless shelter every day," Tedesco said in a phone interview after he received congratulations from first lady Michelle Obama. "If a veteran comes in, somebody could hook them up right there in the shelter with temporary housing and work toward permanent housing or health services if they need it."

Tedesco said he also approached apartment building owners and developers to stress the importance of setting aside units for veterans.
"I'd tell them helping people who served their country not only helps the individual, it helps the country," Tedesco said. "When you talk to them that way, they were most responsive."

Related:  Bergen County reaches goal: All vets in county have or will get housing

The summit included a review of the progress made since Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of the vice president, issued a "mayors challenge" in 2014 to end veteran homelessness. Tedesco said he agreed to take the challenge in 2015, and by August of this year the Department of Housing and Urban Development had certified that the county found shelter for all the homeless veterans it knew about.

Tedesco said between 140 and 150 homeless veterans were placed in homes. The initiative made federal Section 8 housing assistance vouchers – which set rent paid to a fixed percentage of a resident’s income – more available for veterans. It also fostered partnerships with nonprofit groups and the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate support services.

“When veterans fall on hard times and find themselves without a home, they deserve more than just hand-wringing and kind words, they deserve real help that gets them back on their feet,” Obama said in welcoming officials from state, county and municipal governments that met the challenge.. “It is absolutely possible to solve this problem once and for all.”

Bergen was the only county to get hit "functional zero." In addition to Bergen County, Obama said 34 other communities and three states – Connecticut, Delaware and Virginia – also met the goal. But she and other officials noted that the possibility that another veteran may fall on hard times and be out on the street tomorrow means that successful efforts have to be maintained.

The challenge called for providing room in a shelter immediately after a homeless veteran is identified; transitional housing within 30 days; and permanent housing within 90 days. The White House said that overall veteran homelessness has dropped by 36 percent since 2010.

Tedesco said outreach is important to make sure veterans know about programs that might be available to them. One man who benefited from the program who spoke at the White House said he always thought of veterans benefits being mainly for health care and since he wasn't sick, he didn't think his military service would be a factor when he became homeless.

"There are lot of service members facing mental health challenges, issues that just find home not resolve," Tedesco said. "That's why we partner with the VA and case workers to make sure they not only have a roof over their head, they're going to a job, getting a paycheck and going to doctors and taking their medication and things. So it's full-circle support."