in-Time Estimates of Homelessness, veteran homelessness has dropped 33 percent since 2010. “Unprecedented progress has been made,” says Vincent Kane, di- rector of the VA’s National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans. “Any individual who has worn a uniform to protect our nation shouldn’t be on the street.” But they are, and 1.4 million more
are at risk of homelessness, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Veterans are more at risk of homelessness than the population at large, too. The risk factors include shortage of aff ordable housing; lack of access to health care to treat lingering conditions like post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and other ser- vice-related injuries; substance abuse; lack of family or social support net- works; and the inability to land jobs. “The condition of homelessness is a symptom of a lot of diff erent experi- ences,” says Capt. Andy McCawley, USN (Ret), president and CEO of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans (NECHV) in Boston. “There is a strong correlation between com- bat stress and homelessness, but it’s not a straight line,” he adds, pointing out service and deployment can ex- acerbate preexisting mental illness or social stresses.
The NECHV is one of more than 300 community organizations that receives funding from the VA to help homeless veterans. While the major- ity of homeless veterans served in the Vietnam era, McCawley says he increasingly is concerned about the current cohort of veterans coming out of service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kane says this younger generation
of veterans has had more exposure to trauma and combat, and that makes it harder for them to transition from military to civilian life. “These are men and women who believed they would always be soldiers,” says Judi Kosterman, se-
nior vice president of the WestCare Foundation, another VA-funded nonprofi t, which has an extensive veteran services arm at its more than 100 locations. “Something has inter- rupted who they are, and they don’t know who they are.” That’s what happened to Bernal.
Stripped of his identity as a soldier and police offi cer, he fl oundered, drifting among friends’ houses and fi nally deciding he was going to end up living the rest of his life under a bridge or in the woods. His life began to turn around after he spent a night in the psychiatric ward at the VA Southeast Network in Duluth, Ga., after being kicked off a friend’s houseboat. From there, Bernal was referred to the WestCare branch in St. Petersburg, Fla., which also is home to one of the largest VA medi- cal systems in the country. Slowly, Bernal’s situation im-
proved. WestCare gave him shelter, meals, counseling, medical care, and career assistance. “It was a secure, safe place that let me spend time and energy on repairing my soul, mind, and body,” he says. “It was a structured environment in close proximity to VA medical centers. I wasn’t going to be allowed to sleep all day.” That’s exactly what Bernal needed. “The condition of homelessness is disrupting and disabling,” says McCawley. “You have to address homelessness fi rst to enable veter- ans to stabilize.” The NECHV has helped approximately 2,000 veter- ans obtain permanent, stable hous- ing within the past fi ve years. That success is the result of a process that transitions veterans, as quickly as possible, from emergency shelter to transitional housing to perma- nent housing. In the meantime, veterans also receive physical and mental health care services and job training and employment assistance, all while experiencing the stability
States With the Lowest Per- centage of Homeless Veter- ans Per Number of Veterans
1. Virginia (0.086 percent) 2. Mississippi (0.093 percent) 3. Minnesota (0.097 percent) 4. Iowa (0.098 percent) 5. New Hampshire (0.113 percent)
States With the Highest Per- centage of Homeless Veter- ans Per Number of Veterans
1. Oregon (0.463 percent) 2. Hawaii (0.477 percent) 3. New York (0.526 percent) 4. California (0.845 percent) 5. District of Columbia (1.601 percent)
Information is according to Wal- letHub’s 2014 list of Best & Worst States for Military Retirees.
of having a place to receive mail and access meals and computers. Kane says the VA’s SSVF program,
which provides funding to organiza- tions like the NECHV and WestCare, is one of the agency’s biggest initia- tives to end veteran homelessness. In FY 2013, 79 percent of homeless veterans who enrolled in the SSVF program were rapidly rehoused and 89 percent who enrolled while facing imminent homelessness were able to remain stably housed. The VA and the Department of
Housing and Urban Development also have partnered to provide an- other program, Veterans Aff airs Supportive Housing, which off ers vouchers for Section 8 housing and case management to qualifying vet- erans. The program specifi cally tar- gets veterans who have experienced chronic homelessness. Since 2008, more than 58,000 vouchers have been awarded.
[CONTINUES ON PAGE 86] JANUARY 2015 MILITARY OFFICER 61
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