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Prologue
To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan. Abraham Lincoln U.S. President from 1861 to 1865 President Lincolns words spoken a century and a half ago expressed the need to concern ourselves in the assistance of those in need, of those less fortunate, especially of those who have been instrumental in keeping the peace and safety of the Union. Today, in a century where technology has taken center stage, where individualistic and selfish life patterns are the norm, the selfless care of others is seen as a thing of the past, a configuration of moral values better suited for days gone by. Sadly such way of thinking has come to create a national crisis, a crisis called homelessness.
Statistics
If numbers are cold, then the following numbers are stone cold. These are the demographics of homeless Veterans: 1. 12% of the homeless adult population is composed of Veterans. 2. 20% of the male homeless population is composed of Veterans. 3. 68% reside in principal cities. 4. 32% reside in suburban/rural areas. 5. 51% of individual homeless Veterans have disabilities. 6. 50% have serious mental illness. 7. 70% have substance abuse problems. 8. 51% are white males, compared to 38% of non-Veterans. 9. 50% are age 51 or older, compared to 19% non-Veterans. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that the nations homeless Veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 8% being female. Most of the nations homeless Veterans are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 12% of the adult homeless population is composed of Veterans. 1
Origin of Homelessness
The primary causes of homelessness among veterans are: 1. Lack of income due to limited education and lack of transferable skills from military to civilian life (especially true of younger veterans). 2. Combat-related physical health issues and disabilities. 3. Combat-related mental health issues and disabilities. 4. Substance abuse problems that interfere with job retention. 5. Weak social networks due to problems adjusting to civilian life. 6. Lack of services. Switching from civilian to military, then military to civilian life is not an easy task. In the service everything is provided for you, you know the routine and you know who you can count on. Once youre out, you are on your own. Your old friends may be gone and your job may not be there waiting for you. When people move from place to place just to keep working, family life, friends and community change. Its easy to lose hope as one problem often leads to another, and then another. Before they know it, some Veterans have fallen into hopelessness, as well as homelessness. 2
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have experienced a traumatic event. PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not happen until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work/home life, you probably have PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include reliving the event, avoiding places or things that remind you of the event, feeling numb, and feeling keyed up (also called hyper arousal). E. Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (A.K.A. Alcohol and Drug Misuse and Dependence) Alcohol and drug misuse can lead to serious health, relationship, employment, and legal problems. Problematic alcohol or drug use can also lead to dependence. Symptoms of dependence include tolerance, which is the ability to drink or use greater quantities over time; compulsive behavior, which is the inability to stop drinking or using in spite of negative life consequences; and withdrawal, which includes feeling sick and distressed when attempting to quit drinking or using drugs. Problems with drinking or drug use may occur in response to stress, or in combination with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or other medical conditions. Fortunately there are proven methods to help Veterans recover from alcohol or drug misuse and dependence, including mutual help groups and effective treatment. F. Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
Military sexual trauma (MST) is the term that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military. It includes any sexual activity where someone is involved against his or her will; he or she may have been pressured into sexual activities, may have been unable to consent to sexual activities, or may have been physically forced into sexual activities. Other experiences that fall into the category of MST include unwanted sexual touching or grabbing; threatening, offensive remarks about a persons body or sexual activities; and/or threatening or unwelcome sexual advances. Both women and men can experience MST during their service. 5
Housing Placement and Suicide Attempts among Homeless Veterans. Lindsay Hill Project Coordinator. VA National Center on Homelessness among Veterans
Veterans seeking to prevent or get out of homelessness must have easy access to programs and services. Our work is supported by five principal tasks: 1. Housing and its Supportive Services. 2. Employment and Job Development Services. 3. Health care Treatment and Prevention Services. 4. Educational Services. 5. Outreach and Community Partnerships.
PROBLEM
ANSWERS
Part 2- Job Opportunity These formerly homeless Veterans get jobs through our program, the Veterans Housing & Employment Assistance Program. Its a construction job related program, geared towards all of these Veterans that have the ability to work on construction related trades, whether its plumbers, electricians, laborers, general laborers, that have experience or not in these trades. They will be acquiring, through our program, jobs providing permanent supportive housing for fellow Veterans and other people. We currently have over 70 interested contractors whom have already signed contracts, by which they will integrate these Veterans into their construction crews to work in the development, rehabilitation or construction of Veteran housing. Its through the Veterans Housing & Employment Assistance Program that they will be obtaining jobs in the field of housing. The only requirement needed is for them to have already received their HUD Housing Choice Voucher, or the will to enter the HUD-VASH Program for them to obtain subsidized housing. Part 3- Program Transparency and Accountability For the program to achieve transparency and gain accountability, we need to know in the most exact way, the number of Veterans aided by the program and the type of job skill-sets that they have. To be able to do this, it is necessary for an outside agency to perform a survey to all the Veterans that take part in the HUD-VASH Program. This agency will have to go to every Housing Unit provided by the HUD-VASH Program. Also, every single case-worker must be a helpful element of this task. Obviously this survey will reach every Private Non-Profit Organization and Consumer Cooperative who is providing supportive services to very low-income Veteran families living in or transitioning to permanent housing via the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program. Under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, grantees provide eligible Veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits, which may include: 1. Health care services. 2. Daily living services. 3. Personal financial planning services. 4. Transportation services. 5. Fiduciary and payee services. 6. Legal services. 7. Child care services. 8. Housing counseling services.
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TO EVERY VETERAN IN
Shelters or Transitional Facilities Permanent, Supportive, Affordable Housing
In order to be able to obtain the job opportunity, the Veterans, of which many may be suffering from any mental disorder, must agree to be helped by a peer support specialist. A peer support specialist is a person with a mental health and/or co-occurring condition, who has been trained and certified to help others with these conditions, who is actively engaged in his/her own recovery, and who volunteers or is hired to provide peer support services to others engaged in mental health treatment. They share their knowledge and experience with other Veterans, so that they, too, may learn to lead the lives they deserve, identifying and achieving specific life and recovery goals. The condition of obtaining help with peer support specialists creates a win-win or mutually favorable situation for all parts involved. 11
Sick Veteran
Employment
Veterans Housing & Employment Assistance Program (VHEAP) will join Veteran minded and Veteran centered Veteran owned businesses, Veteran contractors and Veteran centered community partners, all of them can be called or be referred to as Captains of the Industry, in order to hire fellow Veterans through a contractual agreement, thus providing them with formal employment. 12
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Part 6- Program Areas The Veterans Housing & Employment Assistance Program is divided in two areas. 1. Jobs for Homeless Veterans and Tradesmen. 2. Small Business and Contractors Working with Veterans. These two areas group the efforts for community investment, involvement and re-adjustment. Basically the Veterans Housing & Employment Assistance Program can be summarized like this: First, find out how many Veterans are being helped by the HUD-VASH Program. Second, know the job skill sets of all these Veterans. Third, heal the Veterans. Provide them with a process of recovery from the disorders affecting them and keeping them away from gaining employment through peer support specialists from their own (ethnic) community. Fourth, create a team of Veteran-centered and Veteran-minded businesses, developers, contractors, nonprofit organizations and community partners who hire the Veterans aided by the programs. Fifth, create bonds between the Veterans and their own (ethnic) community. Allow them to be employed by organizations from within their own communities.
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Peer Support Specialist helping Veteran with health issues within his own community
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit meLord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Jesus Christ Matthew 25:35-40 NIV 15