“No one knows this better than those who
serve in uniform. As this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of
heroes returns to civilian life. We’ll keep slashing that backlog so our
veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned and our wounded warriors receive
the health care -- including the mental health care -- that they need. We’ll
keep working to help all our veterans translate their skills and leadership
into jobs here at home, and we will all continue to join forces to honor and
support our remarkable military families.” – President Obama - State of the Union
Address - January 28, 2014
This past Tuesday was the Presidents annual State of Union
address to the joint session of congress and broadcast live on most major
television networks. Among the legislative
agenda items he outlined was the need for greater veterans services. To my
understanding this means that there could be more public awareness and
additional funding opportunities for issues highlighted in the speech.
The article from the St. Louis Beacon was published on the
day following the speech. It talks about the President’s goal of eradicating
homelessness among veterans by 2015. This article is very brief but brings up
some important points of conversation. It states that last year 13% of St.
Louis city’s homeless population are veterans, which is about 193 people. The
Veterans Affairs (VA) officials came into St. Louis City to try to count and
identify homeless veterans in effort to get them into housing immediately. The
article states while there has been funding for services such as mental health
and case management there has been limited funding for housing available. It
states that there is new influx of federal dollars available that has been ear
marked for the housing need.
It was interesting for me to see how quickly officials from
the VA where able to capitalize on the momentum from the state of the union
address in Washington and bring it home to our own backyard. Like I stated
earlier this article was very brief did not go into great depth. I’d be
interested to know what the legislative solution for homeless veterans is and
how long funding is slated to last. It would be interesting to hear from the
homeless veterans themselves and what they feel would be beneficial to them. It
would also be interesting to see the numbers of how many homeless veterans are
have mental health issues and how that is connected to their homelessness. I’d
like to see that this federal funding for housing is not a Band-Aid solution
for a greater issue for our nation’s veterans.
How would you want to follow up on this program? What would
you use as measures of success? What services would you include as part of the
program? What about people who have decided that they do not want help from the
government and want to be left alone? How do you serve them?
I think that it is shocking the number of Veteran's that are currently homeless. Although I feel that addressing this issue is important, I also think the focus should not only be getting Veteran's off the street, but the cause for their homelessness. I feel that there are not enough services to get Veteran's the help that they need in a continuous manor. More programs should be in place after Soldier's leave service to constantly follow up with needs of Veteran's.
ReplyDeleteNot only do I find the number of homeless veterans to be shocking, I find it to be extremely sad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Barissa that assisting veterns with housing is important. However, it is equally, if not more important, to address the underlying cause of the homelessness. I think that simply providing homeless veterans with housing would prove to be more of a band-aid to the situation than a solution. Rather, in order to be effective in eradicating the issue of homelessness, services need to include assistance with employment and financial education. Programming for homeless veterans needs to include interventions that will foster self-sufficiency.
The VA is committed to ending Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. They are also providing programs to homeless veterans and those at risk. The VA is also providing resources for healthcare, mental health, and employment/job training. We can all get involved. Just visit va.gov/homeless, or call 877-4AID-Vet (314) 428-3838.
ReplyDeleteCorey,
ReplyDeleteThanks for finding this article. Like you mentioned, it addresses a very real concern in the city of St. Louis and I am glad to hear that more attention is being drawn to the issue. The article mentions that the VA is helping with housing, but do we know what kind of help it is? I am wondering if it is in the form of temporary shelter, transitional housing or some sort of housing voucher. Does anyone know? On one of the homeless counts I helped with in the county our organizer mentioned new federal funds that were supposed to be going toward a "rapid rehousing" program designed specifically for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. As I understood it, individuals which qualified could be eligible for vouchers to assist with gaining housing and maintaining it. There was also a case management piece involved, but it was different from section 8. I wonder if they are tapping into some of those funds or doing something similar. I think Camille works for Beyond Housing; maybe she knows more about the program or about what specific housing assistance is being offered to Veterans. We will have to ask her tomorrow!
I think this is an issue that has gone on for far too long and I'm glad its getting the attention it deserves. This is not just a problem that effects a small number of verterans, but is a problem that effects a large majority of those who have served for our country. Im glad this has become a priority because we should be doing everything we can to take care of the people that have taken care of us. I think in order to really begin to understand all the issues in play here is to ask the veterans themselves what they need/want and build individualized plans around their personal struggles. I think there should also be more programs for veterans as soon as they return from war to make services easily accesible from the beginning in the transition home. This could potentially eliminate many people from getting to the point where they become homeless because of the many other issues they have not dealt with.
ReplyDeleteIn looked up information on the VA website. The VA would like to build relationships with individuals and existing organizations in communities to provide services veterans need while combat homelessness. The Veterans Administration is providing financial resources through a grant. They are using an existing agency called The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) to provide permanent, supportive housing and treatment services for homeless Veterans. Thus, they are addressing the causes that may have led to homelessness. The following is cut and pasted from their website http://www.va.gov/homeless/housing.asp
ReplyDelete"HUD allocated nearly 38,000 “Housing Choice” vouchers across the country, which allows Veterans and their families to live in market rate rental housing while VA provides case management services. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord directly by the local public housing authority on behalf of the participating Veteran. The Veteran then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. The case management services facilitate the attainment of the Veteran’s recovery goals. The HUD-VASH Program is for the most vulnerable Veterans, and provides special services for women Veterans, those recently returning from combat zones, and Veterans with disabilities
I hope this helps. It is a great program. Cheri