VA Opens Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

VA Opens Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

WASHINGTON (August 11, 2004) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony
J. Principi has announced the appointment of Darin S. Selnick as director of
the new Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives within the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"Darin Selnick has a solid record of accomplishment," said Secretary
Principi. "Under his leadership, VA will enhance its ability to reach out to
faith-based and community organizations that can help our veterans."

The Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives was established
June 1 when President Bush signed Executive Order 13342.

The new center will identify existing barriers that limit
faith-based and other community organizations from delivering services to
veterans and propose initiatives to remove those barriers, including new
regulations, procurement procedures, internal policies and outreach
activities.

An Air Force veteran, Selnick is a past California state commander
for Jewish War Veterans and a former member of the group's National
Executive Committee. He joined VA in June 2001 as a special assistant
assigned to VA's Learning University.

VA has a long history of working with faith-based and community
organizations, with about 40 percent of its grants for homeless programs
going to faith-based and community organizations. In addition, Secretary
Principi created a task force to assess the current state of services being
provided veterans by faith-based and community organizations and to propose
changes in the regulations governing how those relationships are managed.


The new center will operate under VA's Assistant Secretary for
Public and Intergovernmental Affairs. It will work closely with the Office
of Homeless Veterans programs, which currently oversees VA's efforts with
faith-based and community organizations on behalf of homeless veterans.