Five-Year Plan Unveiled at Homeless Summit
WASHINGTON – Today, at the “VA National Summit Ending Homelessness Among Veterans,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki unveiled the department’s comprehensive plan to end homelessness among Veterans by marshalling the resources of government, business and the private sector.
“President Obama and I are personally committed to ending homelessness among Veterans within the next five years,” said Shinseki. “Those who have served this nation as Veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope.”
Shinseki’s comprehensive plan to end homelessness includes preventive measures like discharge planning for incarcerated Veterans re-entering society, supportive services for low-income Veterans and their families and a national referral center to link Veterans to local service providers. Additionally, the plan calls for expanded efforts for education, jobs, health care and housing.
“Our plan enlarges the scope of VA’s efforts to combat homelessness,” said Shinseki. “In the past, VA focused largely on getting homeless Veterans off the streets. Our five-year plan aims also at preventing them from ever ending up homeless.”
Other features of the plan outlined by Shinseki include:
- The new Post-9/11 GI Bill provides a powerful option for qualified Veterans to pursue a fully funded degree program at a state college or university. It is a major component of the fight against Veteran homelessness.
- VA is collaborating with the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration to certify Veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses for listing on the Federal Supply Register, which enhances their visibility and competitiveness – creating jobs for Veterans.
- VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to prevent and reduce homelessness among Veterans. That includes $2.7 billion on medical services and more than $500 million on specific homeless programs.
- VA aggressively diagnoses and treats the unseen wounds of war that often lead to homelessness – severe isolation, dysfunctional behaviors, depression and substance abuse. Last week, VA and the Defense Department cosponsored a national summit on mental health that will help both agencies better coordinate mental health efforts.
- VA partners with more than 600 community organizations to provide transitional housing to 20,000 Veterans. It also works with 240 public housing authorities to provide permanent housing to homeless Veterans and their families under a partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The VA/HUD partnership will provide permanent housing to more than 20,000 Veterans and their families.
Over the duration of the conference it is expected that over 1,200 homeless service providers from federal and state agencies, the business community, and faith-based and community providers will attend and participate in the summit.
“This is not a summit on homelessness among Veterans,” added Shinseki “It’s a summit on ending homelessness among Veterans.”
We have reached the end of the first official year of existence as an organization.
It has been a good year on both the funding and services rendered side of the picture.
We want to thank our donors for their contributions to the cause. No one would have thought providing housing assistance to Vietnam era veterans would have such an impact at the first of 2008. Now with the housing crisis, the credit crunch and the number of unemployed, the needs have sharpened dramatically.
News from the financial markets has been grim at best. To top off the markets dropping, the banks not lending money, is the news that Bernard Madoff has managed to put several non for profit organizations out of business, causing even more distress to those who were served by the foundations that invested with Madoff Securities.
We are an organization that depends on the funds coming in to reach out to those in need, so it is even greater satisfaction when we find individuals in need and contribute to their bottom line.
So, here is the summary of activity for the year 2008. We received $20,000 in contributions, paid processing fees to government agencies of $300 and paid out the remaining balances to Vietnam era veterans in need.
To-date, we paid for the housing for four vets in the Chicagoland area. Two vets came to us through the Vet Care Clinic in Oak Park, IL. They were receiving assistance for food and utilities while waiting for Veterans Administration in Minneapolis to approve their disability appeals.
The other two vets came from Salvation Army social work in Chicago, who were in need of Section 8 assistance. One was losing their apartment due to bank foreclosure on his landlord. Our assistance helped carry him through the remainder of 2008 in a new Section 8 apartment. The final vet was under therapy with social services and applying for the first time for disability with the Veterans Administration. This process usually takes up to a year, and our assistance has kept him in housing up until March of 2008.
We hope to continue this line of assistance and with the contributions from next year, we will be pleased to see any or all of the current applicants living under their own power. We have asked the agencies involved to keep us posted on everyone’s progress and to post our website with the local groups as a source for assistance.
We are in the process of establishing a separate Tab on the website for various agencies that are directly or indirectly involved in veteran aid. This will help those inquiring for assistance on jobs, health needs, and other social services to find contacts.
Here’s to a good 2008 and hopefully a greater 2009. Thanks to all who have contributed and best wishes for brighter year to those who have received assistance.
Homes for Vietnam Veterans would like to proudly support the efforts people are making to help with all forms of poverty. By spreading information on how to help, blogging has made a big difference in informing people globally on many different causes. The Homes for Vietnam Veterans is just one example.
This is the Housing for Vietnam Veterans website. We are a 501(c) 3 organization that has for its mission, the providing of housing for homeless Vietnam Veterans. After watching the Veterans Administration fail consistently in providing adequate services for our veterans, we have concluded that someone needs to take care of those veterans of prior conflicts. So we are creating this site and this organization for the sole purpose of ensuring that the current Vietnam Era Veterans have a roof over their head and their utilities are paid.
We are connecting with the current social services that can provide assistance for the Veteran as well. Between the services of housing and social services, the goal of this organization is to ensure that every applicant is taken care for as long as it takes to get them to independence or to the services that the VA should have been providing in the first place.
We want to thank you for your comments and any donations that you can provide us with is greatly appreciated. Our funding is from public support, corporate sponsorships, and endowment funds from other organizations. If you care to donate, please use the PayPal form to the right. We have forms for physical donations, Paypal, and corporate sponsorships.
Meanwhile, as we develop our website to serve you and our Vets in need, leave us your suggestions in our blog area. You can contact us by clicking here, and leaving your suggestions in our email area.
Thanks again for your interest in our services and Housing for Homeless Vietnam Veterans.
Kipp M Webb, Executive Director