The new year will mean more help for Connecticut’s estimated 131,000 military veterans. They will get more mental health services, job training and transitional housing under legislation that just passed Congress.

It also means more help for veterans’ caregivers.

Terry Waite spent decades serving his country in the Army, Navy and National Guard. But a year ago, Waite found himself with no place to live.

“I never expected to be homeless. Just the way it snowballed and happened is amazing to me,” he said. “I ended up with a lease they would not renew, and then I got sick at the very end.”

Harkness House came to the rescue. Fourteen veterans live at the New Haven facility, but they get much more than just “three hots and a cot.”

“Help to get a better job,” Waite said. “They have people work with you on resumes.”

Now, vets homes across Connecticut will get more money from Washington. It’s all thanks to major new legislation that passed, with just days to spare before the Thursday’s congressional deadline.

The Sen. Elizabeth Dole Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Act dramatically raises the federal per diem reimbursement rate for facilities like Harkness House, which frees up more money to help vets get back on their feet.

“So they could have things like clothing and food and such that we wouldn’t be able to provide unless we have a fully-funded program,” said Sarah Hoffman, with Columbus House, which operates Harkness House.

The Dole Act will also make it easier to get mental health treatment and ambulance trips. It expands access to in-home care, instead of forcing veterans to live in a nursing home.

“Enabling caregivers – many veterans are at home – to be compensated,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “We need to get those veterans off the streets, especially as we go into the cold weather.”

The legislation also opens up more training for high-tech jobs. It passed with bipartisan support from Republicans.

“There is no better way to close out the Congress than to pass a good bill for veterans and their families,” said House Veterans Affairs Chair Mike Bost (R-Illinois). “We worked hard to craft this legislation to put veterans – not government bureaucracy – at the core of it. The Dole Act will do that by expanding economic opportunities, simplifying the disability claims process, reforming services for aging veterans, opening more doors for mental health support and a lot more."

Thanks to Harkness House, Waite is about to move into a new apartment – and a get a new start.

“It means a lot to have people that are willing to help,” he said.

There is a waiting list to get into Harkness House. Applicants can apply either through the Veterans Administration or the City of New Haven.