Children

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Children Families of Homeless Veterans
Resources to Address Homelessness
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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.

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Who are Homeless Veterans?
Homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with
 children face special  challenges   Female veter
ans are between two and four times as likely to be
 homeless as  their civilian counterparts.    Fema
le veterans make up about five percent of homeless
 veterans, up from  about three percent a decade a
go.    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.
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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

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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

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How Big is the ProblemThe Statistics
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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

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What stressors do homeless students experience?

• Transient / unstable lifestyle
• Living in crowded conditions
• Frequently changing schools
• Inadequate personal hygiene
• Shabby or unclean clothing
• Poor health / nutrition
• Sporadic school enrollment/attendance
• Lets add to this the impact of a deployed
  parent or parents or a parent struggling with the
  visible and invisible wounds of war.

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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)

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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/V
  eterans/Default.aspx

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VA Homeless Programs

• Prevention Services
• National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
• Housing and Support Services
• Treatment
• Employment/Job Training
• Benefits/Other Services
• Other Resources
• www.va.gov/HOMELESS

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Federal Government Services for Homeless Veterans
with Children

• The Supportive Services for Veteran Families
  (SSVF) Program
• Information is available at http//www1.va.gov/hom
  eless/ssvf.asp.
• The Department of Housing and Urban
  Development-VA Supporting Housing (HUD-VASH)
• Information is available at http//www1.va.gov/HOM
  ELESS/HUD-VASH.asp.
• The U.S. Department of Labors Veterans
  Employment and Training Service
• A list of participating programs is available at
  http//www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/vets/VETS201009
  17.htm.
• The U.S. Department of Educations Veteran
  Initiatives
• more information is available at
  http//www2.ed.gov/programs/triovub/index.html
  and http//www2.ed.gov/programs/cevss/index.html.

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Prevention Services

• For Veterans in need of intensive services due to
  involvement in the criminal justice system
• Healthcare for Reentry
• Veteran Justice Outreach

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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

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Benefits and Other Services

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

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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

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Decatur Cooperative Ministry
Prevents alleviates homelessness through our
programs and partnerships
Income First Step Staffing
Rapid Re-Housing Project Community Connections
Inc.
Education Decatur and DeKalb Schools
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Dekalb KidsHome Collaborative
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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

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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

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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

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A Parting Word Please Remember

• Families experiencing homelessness are families
  first
• Stress affects both parents and children
• Effects on children vary with developmental stage
• Families of Homeless Veterans are resilient
• Your Role
• Advocate for the child
• Educate, support family

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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?id122
• www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg6
• http//www.va.gov/health/NewsFeatures/2013/Septemb
  er/Stand-Downs-VA-and-Partners-Helping-Homeless-Ve
  ts.asp
• http//www.nchv.org/howtohelp.cfm
• http//www.nchv.org/background.cfmfacts
• Unspoken Wounds Casey D. Mull, Extension
  Military Specialist UGA Cooperative Extension -
  706-542-4H4H

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Thank you for all you do.

• Questions?