May 19, 2013
Associated Press Release
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- A shelter for homeless veterans in northeast Florida may have to close because it relies on funding from Allied Veterans of the World, a purported charity at the center of a gambling investigation.
The Allied Veterans Center opened in Jacksonville in December 2011. It houses 28 former military service members as they take counseling and coursework to help them find jobs.
Len Loving runs the veterans shelter. Loving is telling his residents the center could run out of money by the end of June.
Authorities say Florida-based Allied Veterans of the World was essentially a fake charity that raked in $300 million. They say only 2 percent of the money actually went to charities.
The homeless shelter received roughly $1.85 million from the group.
