Any veteran who wants a home in Connecticut now has one. The state has become the second, after Virginia, to effectively end homelessness among veterans.

Connecticut created a coalition of state and federal government agencies, non-profit groups, and other organizations to launch a coordinated effort to make sure homeless vets had permanent shelter if they wanted it. The state also committed to spending a billion dollars on new housing and other help for the homeless.

GET DAILY GOOD NEWS WITH OUR 5-STAR APP—>  Download FREE for Android and iOS

"We will not stop here," Governor Dannel Malloy said in his announcement Thursday. "We will keep working to end all chronic homelessness in Connecticut by the end of this year."

Last year, the state became the first in the country to end chronic homelessness among veterans, defined as being without a home for one year coupled with a disabling condition, or having at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

Connecticut is one of several states and cities that signed onto a 2014 White House initiative to eliminate homelessness. The strategy seeks to eliminate veteran homelessness first, and use what works with that effort to address the broader homeless population.

Several cities — and now two states — have been able to effectively end veteran homelessness since then.

(WATCH the video below from WFSB News, or READ more at CTPost) — Photo: EsotericSapience, CC