BARBARA GILBERTCLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI VA MEDICAL

CENTER

Ending Veteran Homelessness

Ending Veteran Homelessness

Six Strategic Pillars

Outreach/Education Treatment Prevention Housing/Supportive Services Income/ Employment/ Benefits Community Partnerships

Reduction in Veteran Homelessness

1996 – an estimated 23% of all homeless were Veterans

2009 AHAR estimates 75,609 homeless Veterans on a single night ( 12% of all homeless are veterans

Special Populations – Homeless Veterans

FY ‘06 to date, 150 Women identified as homeless (3.9% of homeless Veteran population

Highest percentage Women Veterans(4.7%) in FY ’10

FY ‘06 to date, 153 OEF/OIF Veterans identified as homeless (3/9% of homeless Veteran population

FYTD, 78 Veterans (6.4%) identified as homeless

Perception of Unmet Needs Among Homeless

Non-Veteran Consumer (7 domains)

1. Long-term housing2. Mental health3. Dental4. Medical5. Financial support6. Job assistance7. Substance abuse

(Rosenheck & Lam, 1997)

Perception of Unmet Needs

Veteran Consumer (From 42 possible needs)1. Welfare payments2. Child care 3. Legal assistance for child support issues4. Family reconciliation assistance 5. Guardianship (financial)6. Legal assistance for outstanding warrants/fines7. SSI/SSD process8. Credit Counseling9. Job Training10. Legal assistance to help restore a driver’s license

Kuhn & Nakashima, 2010

Consumer-Provider Differ on Needs

Consumers1. Welfare payments2. Child care 3. Legal assistance for child support issues4. Family reconciliation assistance 5. Guardianship (financial)6. Legal assistance for outstanding warrants/fines7. SSI/SSD process8. Credit Counseling9. Job Training10. Legal assistance to help restore a driver’s license

Consumer – Provider Differ on Needs

Providers1. Child care2. Legal assistance for child support issues3. Legal assistance for outstanding warrants/fines4. Family reconciliation assistance 5. Legal assistance to help restore a driver’s license6. Credit counseling7. Long-term, permanent housing8. Dental care9. Help managing money10. Guardianship (financial)

2010 VA CHALENG Report

Significant Changes in Consumer Perception of Unmet Needs between 2009 and 2010:

All of the top ten most pressing unmet needs as a family, legal, or financial concern, ahead of permanent, transitional, and emergency housing.

New to top 10 in 2010 rankings:

1. Credit Counseling (#8)2. Legal assistance to help restore a driver’s license (#10).

Family reconciliation up from 8th to 4th highest unmet need . Dental care high unmet need for ineligible populations. Long-term permanent housing dropped out of the top 10, was 3rd

in 2009.

VA Homeless Programs & Initiatives

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans – 1-877-424-3838

Grant and Per Diem Program HUD-VASH Homeless Veteran Dental Initiative Healthcare for Homeless Veterans

(HCHV)

VA Homeless Programs and Initiatives

VA Assistance to Stand Downs Compensated Work TherapyHomeless Veteran Supported Employment

Program CHALENGDomiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans

(DCHV) ProgramSupportive Services to Veterans Families

Milwaukee’s Successes

o Grant and Per Diem – 140 transitional housing beds 15 beds for women and women/children)

Contract Transitional Housing – Daily Avg. of 6 veterans

HUD/VASH – 215 vouchers; to date, 172 veterans removed from homelessness

Milwaukee’s Successes

National Call Center – 108 hotline callsStand Down – 3 events each yearDental Care – In FY 2010, 231 veterans

received careContract Transitional Housing – 44 veterans

removed from streets/shelters

Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups

CHALENG – 394 Veteran participants in 2010

Help finding a job one of the top unmet needs

Long-term, permanent housing and emergency shelter also top unmet needs

Housing and Urban Development/VA Supportive Housing

The HUD-VASH Program is a collaborative program between HUD and VA.

265 vouchers allocated Serving Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac;

Racine, Waukesha, Milwaukee and Racine Counties

Clinical Care Management and Housing Choice Vouchers

Homelessness, as defined by McKinney-Vento

HUD/VASH

HUD definition of homelessness: “"homeless individual or homeless person" includes- an

individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and

an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is - a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter

designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);

an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or

a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

HUD/VASH

The HUD-VASH Program is a collaborative program between HUD and VA.

Who can be served:Veterans and their families - A Veteran is, for the purpose of HUD-VASH, a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable and is eligible for VA health care.

HUD/VASH

Housing Choice Voucher (HCV). The HCV program is the Federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.

HUD-VASH Clinical Care Management. Care management is the provision of services by VA clinical staff to homeless Veterans and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and maintain Veterans in HUD- approved stable housing

HUD/VASH

Since 2008

344 veterans have been screened272 provided clinical care

management

Target Populations Served by HUD/VASH

10.73% - Veterans w/families6.22% - OEF/OIF8.55 – living in shelters6.07 – living in streets or vehicles2.02% - imminent eviction30.88% - other veterans, including women 19 women veterans have received HUD/VASH

care management

Helpful Resources and Sites

http://www.va.gov/homeless/

http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/NationalCenter.asp

http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/chaleng.asp

http://m.nationalresourcedirectory.gov/

Thank You!!

Barbara Gilbert, LCSWProgram Manager

Mental Health DivisionClement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center

5000 West National Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53295

(414) 342-2224Barbara.gilbert@va.gov