Tom Lyons

Tom Lyons

MassHousing’s Manager of Community Services Tom Lyons has been appointed to a national advisory committee on homeless veterans by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

Lyons, a Wakefield resident who has been MassHousing’s manager of Community Services for nine years, was named by Shinseki to the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans.

As a committee member, Lyons will provide advice on issues related to the needs of homeless veterans and assess the effectiveness of VA policies and programs for homeless veterans.

Lyons was selected by Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray to co-chair the Governor’s Veterans Advisory Council Subcommittee on Veterans Housing in 2008. As a result, Lyons was involved in the creation of MassHousing’s A Home for the Brave mortgage program for Massachusetts veterans, which was announced by the Patrick-Murray administration July 2008.

Lyons, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and a South Boston native, spent 10 years as Boston’s Deputy Commissioner for Veterans and seven years as executive director of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans before joining MassHousing.