Homeless Veterans at Life

1
Homeless Veterans at Lifes End

• Military History Toolkit
• Produced by the
• Veterans Advisory Council
• A taskforce of the National Hospice and
  Palliative Care Organization

2
Definition of Homelessness

• Public law 100-77 the McKinney Act (1987)
• A homeless person is one who lacks a fixed,
  regular and adequate nighttime residence and
• who has a primary nighttime residence that is
• a supervised publicly or privately operated
  shelter,
• a temporary residence for individuals intended to
  be institutionalized, or
• a public or private place not ordinarily used as
  a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

3
The Statistics

• VA estimates that 107,000 Veterans are homeless
  on any given night
• Over the course of a year, approximately twice
  that many experience homelessness.
• Only eight percent of the general population can
  claim Veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the
  homeless population are Veterans.
• About 1.5 million Veterans are considered at risk
  of homelessness

4
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

5
Who are Homeless Veterans?

• 23 of the homeless population are Veterans
• 13 of all sheltered homeless adults are Veterans
  
• 47 of homeless Veterans served during the
  Vietnam Era
• 33 were stationed in a war zone
• 89 received an honorable discharge
• Reference http//www.nchv.org/background.cfmfact
  s

6
Who are 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
• Reference http//www.nchv.org/background.cfmfact
  s

7
VA Homeless Programs

• Every VA medical center has a homeless Veteran
  services coordinator who is responsible for
  providing outreach and services for homeless or
  at-risk Veterans
• National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
• 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838)
• Homeless Veterans Chat links to Veterans Suicide
  Prevention Hotline
• www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default
  .aspx
• Reference www.va.gov/homeless

8
VA Homeless Programs

• Prevention Services
• Housing and Support Services
• Treatment
• Employment/Job Training
• Benefits/Other Services
• Other Resources
• www.va.gov/HOMELESS

9
Prevention Services

• National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
• Healthcare for Reentry
• Veteran Justice Outreach
• Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program

10
Housing and Support Services

• HUD VA Supported Housing Program (VASH)
• Grant Per Diem
• Supported Housing

11
Treatment

• Healthcare for Homeless Veterans
• Veteran Stand Downs
• Homeless Veteran Dental Assistance
• Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans
• Drop-in Centers

12
Stand Downs

• 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

13
Employment/Job Training

• Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Residence
  (CWT/TR) Program
• For disadvantaged, at-risk, and homeless Veterans
• Community-based supervised group homes
• VA contracts with private industry and public
  sector

14
Benefits and Other Services

• Homeless Veteran Benefit Assistance
• Property Sales for Homeless Providers
• Excess Property for Homeless Veterans

15
How can you help?

• Support emergency shelters
• Volunteer as mentors, counselors or legal aide
• Raise funds for programs
• Volunteer at Stand Down programs
• Develop Homeless Veteran Burial Programs
• Partner with your local VA to ensure Veterans can
  access hospice services

16
Where to find help

• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
• Phone 1-800-VET-HELP
• Email nchv_at_nchv.org
• Website www.nchv.org
• VA Medical Centers
• Homeless Coordinator
• www.va.gov/homeless
• homelessvet_at_va.gov
• Phone [phone]-VETS
• State Director of Veterans Affairs
• Website www.va.gov/statedva.htm

17
Where to Find Help

• 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

18
Where to Find Help

• Veteran Homestead Hospice, Fitchburg, MA a
  unique program providing hospice care to homeless
  Veterans in a residential, homelike setting
• Website http//Veteranhomestead.org
• To view video
• http//Veteranhomestead.org/video/LiveDieDignity.h
  tml

19
PROJECT CHALENG

• Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness
  Assessment, Local Education and Networking
  Groups)
• Launched in 1994 by VA
• Designed to enhance the continuum of care for
  homeless Veterans provided by the local VA and
  its surrounding community service agencies
• Ref www.va.gov/homeless/chaleng.asp

20
A Parting Word-Please Remember

• All VA enrolled Veterans are entitled to VA
  payment of hospice care across all settings
  regardless of their service connection
• VA and hospice partnerships can improve Veterans
  access to the care and services they need at the
  end of life