Children & Families of Homeless
Veterans:
Resources to Address
Homelessness
Learning Objectives
•
Objective/Goal #1 Participants will gain increased knowledge
about the National Resources and initiatives to End Veteran
Homelessness such as the Supportive Services for Veteran
Families Grant.
•
Objective/Goal #2 Participants will be able to identify at least
one strategy utilized by the Veterans Administration to address
homelessness among Veterans and their children.
•
Objective/Goal #3 Participants will learn about the local
responses to Veteran homelessness including interim housing
options for homelessness veterans' and their children.
Who are Homeless
Veterans?
Homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children face special
challenges
Female veterans are between two and four times as likely to be homeless as
their civilian counterparts.
Female veterans make up about five percent of homeless veterans, up from
about three percent a decade ago.
Women Vets with children make up the most rapidly increasing homeless
veteran population and women veterans in general face higher risks of
homelessness than their male counterpart.
Causes of Veteran Homelessness
• Shortage of affordable housing, livable
income and limited access to health care
• Lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD)
• Substance abuse
• Lack of family and social support networks
Special Concerns for Homeless
Veterans
• 45% suffer from mental illness
• 70% suffer from substance abuse
problems
• 58% have health/physical problems
• 46% are age 45 or older compared to
20% of non-Veteran homeless citizens
How Big is the Problem:
The Statistics
Veteran Homelessness: Children &
Youth
• 107,000 veterans experience
homelessness
• 1,300 homeless veterans are
individuals with dependent
children.
• Nearly one million children
and youth experience
homeless, including some
whose parents are active
duty members of the military.
• Homeless families account for
41 percent of the homeless
population in the U.S
What stressors do homeless
students experience?
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Transient / unstable lifestyle
Living in crowded conditions
Frequently changing schools
Inadequate personal hygiene
Shabby or unclean clothing
Poor health / nutrition
Sporadic school enrollment/attendance
Let’s add to this the impact of a deployed parent
or parents or a parent struggling with the visible and
invisible wounds of war.
Resources to Support Children of
Homeless Veterans
•
Operation Military Kids (OMK):
http://www.k12.wa.us/OperationMilitaryKids/default.asp.
OMK CORE PARTNERS
• UGA Cooperative Extension & Georgia 4-H
• Department of Education & Local School Districts
• Joint Family Support Assistance Program Staff
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)
• Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)
• The American Legion
• Community Agencies, e.g., Georgia Association of
Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (GACCRRA)
Veterans Administration:
Responses to Homelessness
•
Every VA medical center has a homeless Veteran services
coordinator who is responsible for providing outreach and services
for homeless or at-risk Veterans
http://www1.va.gov/homeless/ and click on
“Find a Homeless Coordinator”
•
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
– 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838)
Homeless Veterans Chat links to Veterans Suicide Prevention
Hotline
•
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default.aspx
VA Homeless Programs
• Prevention Services
– National Call Center for Homeless
Veterans
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Housing and Support Services
Treatment
Employment/Job Training
Benefits/Other Services
Other Resources
www.va.gov/HOMELESS
Federal Government Services for
Homeless Veterans with Children
The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program
Information is available at http://www1.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA
Supporting Housing (HUD-VASH)
Information is available at http://www1.va.gov/HOMELESS/HUD-VASH.asp.
• The U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and
Training Service
A list of participating programs is available at
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/vets/VETS20100917.htm.
• The U.S. Department of Education’s Veteran Initiatives
more information is available at
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triovub/index.html and
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/cevss/index.html.
•
Prevention Services
• For Veterans in need of intensive
services due to involvement in the
criminal justice system…
– Healthcare for Reentry
– Veteran Justice Outreach
Stand Downs
•
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Stand Downs for Homeless Veterans
– Events to provide outreach to homeless Veterans
– Coordinated among local VA Medical Centers, other
government agencies and community agencies serving
the homeless
For locations of Stand Downs
– www.va.gov/HOMELESS/StandDown.asp
– Homeless Veterans Programs Office: 202-461-7401
Benefits and Other Services
• Homeless Veteran Benefit Assistance
• Property Sales for Homeless Providers
• Excess Property for Homeless Veterans
Decatur Cooperative Ministry…
Our Mission & Vision
Mission:
Decatur Cooperative Ministry helps
families facing homelessness settle into safe,
stable homes and build healthy lives filled with
peace, hope and opportunity.
Vision:
To lead our diverse congregations and
community in ending homelessness by:
• Providing individualized, comprehensive services
to homelessness families,
• Raising awareness and providing education
about homelessness and its systematic causes,
• Advocating for social justice and long-term
solutions to homelessness
Decatur Cooperative Ministry
Prevents & alleviates homelessness through our programs and
partnerships:
Homelessnes
s Prevention
Project Take
Charge
Short-Term
Shelter
Hagar’s
House
Long-Term
Transitional Education
Housing
Decatur
Family
and
House
DeKalb
Schools
Rapid ReHousing
Project
Community
Connection
s Inc.
Income
First
Step
Staffing
Dekalb KidsHome Collaborative
Where to find help
• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
– Phone: 1-800-VET-HELP
– Email: nchv@nchv.org
– Website: www.nchv.org
• VA Medical Centers
– Homeless Coordinator
– www.va.gov/homeless
– homelessvet@va.gov
– Phone 1-877-222-VETS
• State Director of Veterans Affairs
– Website: www.va.gov/statedva.htm
Where to Find Help (continued)
Veterans Service Organizations and Auxiliary
Organizations (VSOs)
AMVETS www.amvets.org
Blinded Veterans Association www.bva.org
Disabled American Veterans www.dav.org
Veterans of Foreign Wars www.vfw.org
Vietnam Veterans of America www.vva.org
How can you help?
• Establish single points of contact (POC) in agencies to
facilitate service provision to veteran and active military
families
• Establish a volunteer mentor program for students
experiencing homelessness, including children of veterans
and active duty military members Support emergency
shelters
• Volunteer as mentors, counselors or legal aide
• Raise funds for programs
• Volunteer at Stand Down programs
A Parting Word: Please Remember
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Families experiencing homelessness are families “first”
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Stress affects both parents and children
– Effects on children vary with developmental stage
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Families of Homeless Veterans are resilient
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Your Role
– Advocate for the child
– Educate, support family
References
http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm
http://ftp.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/vet.pdf
(1) DOD, “Report on the Impact of Deployment of Members of the
Armed Forces on Their Dependent Children”, 2010
www.va.gov/homeless
http://www1.va.gov/HOMELESS/prevention.asp
www.nchv.org/page.cfm?id=122
www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=6
http://www.va.gov/health/NewsFeatures/2013/September/StandDowns-VA-and-Partners-Helping-Homeless-Vets.asp
http://www.nchv.org/howtohelp.cfm
http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm#facts
Unspoken Wounds: Casey D. Mull, Extension Military Specialist: UGA
Cooperative Extension - 706-542-4H4H
Thank you for all you do.
Questions?