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 It has been nearly two years since Opening Doors was launched with the goal to prevent and end Veteran homelessness by 2015. Together, we have made greatstrides. From 2010 to 2011, there was a 12 percent decrease in homelessness nationally among Veterans, and in some places, that reduction was as high as 20 percent. Now more than ever, we need a stronger sense of urgency with over 67,000 of the nation's men and women who served in our armed forces experiencing homelessness. In addition, our Veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan may also be at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness upon their return. We need to continue to break down silos not just in the federal government but in state and local governments as well.
Over the last four years, the increased funding and voucher allocations in the Department of Housing and Urban Development - Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing has led to progress and innovation across the nation. Yet HUD-VASH is just one of the resources communities should be focused on in their plans to end Veteran homelessness. There are an array of programs and services available to Veterans who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness.
USICH recommends that the key to ensuring that these resources are used to their fullest potential and most efficiently is for communities to adopt a Veteran-centric approach. When a Veteran seeks help or when an organization makes contact with a Veteran in need through outreach, the first step should be to understand that Veteran's background and unique needs. There is no one size fits all solution and communities need to be prepared to provide the right response at the right time.
This newsletter is focused on providing communities the knowledge of how to unlock available resources in their communities beyond the HUD-VASH program. For this issue, we spoke with the Department of Veterans Affairs about their portfolio of programs to serve Veterans at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, we profiled three examples of Veterans explaining how resources can be coordinated to meet needs in a Veteran-centric way, and we interviewed two leaders in Massachusetts about successful local programs.
Read more from Barbara Poppe
On May 23, we will be hosting a webinar on this topic:
Register now
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VA Programs to Prevent and End Homelessness for Veterans
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An Interview with Lisa Pape, Director of Homeless Programs for the Veterans Health Administration
It is important for communities to be aware of all the supports and programs VA has to offer for Veterans in need. USICH spoke with Lisa Pape, the National Director of VHA Homeless Programs, about how community providers can work with VA to achieve greater success in serving Veterans by using all available resources, and what VA is focused on in 2012 to make progress towards the 2015 goal of ending Veteran homelessness.
Read her interview
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A Veteran-Centric Approach & Right Sizing Interventions for Veterans in Need
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Three Veteran Profiles
There are many resources available to help Veterans in need. Some are federally or state funded; others are local. Some are targeted specifically to people experiencing homelessness or specifically to Veterans; others are more generally available to all people with low-incomes. USICH drafted three sample profiles of Veterans with different backgrounds and in need of differing intervention components. These profiles give a sense of what is involved when a community is able to serve a Veteran's needs. Read all three profiles
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What Works in MA: Two Innovative Programs Making a Difference
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USICH spoke with Claire Makrinikolas, the Director of Housing for the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services, about state level efforts to end Veteran homelessness and about the Statewide Housing Advocacy Reintegration and Prevention (SHARP) pilot program which targets Massachusetts' most vulnerable Veterans. We also spoke with Lauren Dever, Coordinator for the Women Veterans Homelessness Program, based in Boston, about ways that their program is able to holistically meet the needs of female Veterans experiencing homelessness.
Read about the SHARP Program
Read about the Women Veterans Homelessness Program |
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Three Resources to Improve HUD-VASH Implementation
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USICH Online HUD-VASH Toolkit
USICH published an online toolkit on the HUD-VASH program targeted to providers, local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs), and others directly involved with placing Veterans in housing. The toolkit offers guidance on important topics such as targeting vouchers to those experiencing chronic homelessness, the possibility of project-basing vouchers, the role of case management, and more.
Access the toolkit
HUD's HUD-VASH Best Practices Working Document
The HUD-VASH Best Practices Working Document was released by HUD as a way to spread the word about effective strategies for administering the program as well as to highlight innovative practices by administrators and partners in the field. It summarizes the most unique and innovative practices submitted by PHAs and VAMCs in response to a request for best practices sent out via the HUD-VASH listserv in the fall of 2011. If you know of additional strategies or activities that you have found to be particularly effective for HUD-VASH, which haven't been highlighted in this version of the report, please send them to kaitlin.miller@hud.gov.
Download the document
VA HUD-VASH Resource Guide
The VA's HUD-VASH Resource Guide for Permanent Housing and Clinical Care (and the supplemental Resource Guide Quick Tips) was designed to provide case managers and others who work with homeless Veterans in the HUD-VASH program, with a comprehensive set of resources to assist in addressing the multifaceted needs of homeless Veterans. The Resource Guide is a product of the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans and was developed by a dynamic team of researchers, policy analysts, public health experts, psychologists, physicians, and social workers located throughout the country.
Access the Resource Guide |
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Deadline: Grant and Per Diem Funding
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Deadline for Applications May 30
In March, VA announced a new NOFA for Grant and Per Diem programs that includes funding priorities for applicants who will either serve specific populations of Veterans experiencing homelessness that are identified in this NOFA, or implement a new "Transition in Place" housing model to facilitate housing stabilization.
Read the NOFA and apply
USICH Deputy Director Anthony Love recently wrote an entry on the USICH blog about what a Transition in Place model looks like and what the VA is doing to encourage its implementation.
Read the blog
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VA Releases New Study on Incidence of and Risk Factors for Homelessness among Veterans
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VA recently released a report entitled "Incidence of Homelessness among Veterans and Risk Factors for Becoming Homeless in Veterans." This report helps VA to identify which specific subpopulations of Veterans are at a particularly high-risk for falling into homelessness in order to best target prevention efforts moving forward. This report most notably found that the presence of mental disorders is the strongest predictor for homelessness, and that military sexual trauma is an especially strong predictor for women Veterans who were involved in Operations Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). The report also details specific incidences for sub-populations in both OEF/OIF and non-OEF/OIF Veterans.
Read the report
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SAMHSA Fact Sheet on Preventing Homelessness for Veterans of Recent Conflicts
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In August 2011, USICH, SAMHSA, and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, and Defense sponsored an expert panel on what is known about how to prevent and respond to homelessness among Veterans. The panel documented research-based knowledge, field experience, and best practices in meeting the needs of Veterans returning from recent wars. USICH and SAMHSA created a fact sheet that outlines the guiding principles heard at the expert panel, and what panelists highlighted as areas for action.
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Updates from National Organizations
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Got Your 6 Launch
 "Got Your 6," which in military jargon, means "I've got your back," is a new initiative led by the entertainment industry to raise public awareness about the Veteran experience and improve Veterans' return to civilian life.
Learn more
Robin Hood Foundation's Veterans Initiative Robin Hood Foundation is a philanthropic organization  dedicated to funding effective programs that improve the lives of New Yorkers living in poverty. They recently launched a new initiative targeted to Veterans, which kicked off with their Veterans Summit on May 7. The Veterans initiative makes grants to programs working to improve opportunities for Veterans in need in the fields of healthcare, employment, housing, legal aid, and more. Learn about this initiative |
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Beyond HUD-VASH - Ending Veterans Homelessness
Webinar
| On Wednesday, USICH is hosting a webinar to share advice from successful comprehensive approaches that bring different resources together to improve housing and life outcomes for homeless Veterans. Panelists include USICH's Barbara Poppe, VHA National Director of Homeless Programs Lisa Pape, and more.
Wednesday, May 23
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT
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HUD Webinar
Building the Bridge: HPRP to ESG
Tuesday, May 22
3:30 - 5:00 pm EDT
VA Deadline
Grant and Per Diem Program Transition in Place Grant Applications
SAMHSA Deadline
SOAR Technical Assistance Grant Applications for HUD CoCs
Friday, June 1
Check Out More Upcoming Events on our Online Calendar
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