4.6 jeff yungman
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Service Priorities For Homeless Veterans-How Does VASH Fit?
July 14, 2011
Brief History
Began in 1984 Men’s Shelter and Soup Kitchen at first Moved to current location in 1987 Piggly Wiggly donated main building Family Center built in 1991 Supportive Services grew in the 1990’s to focus
on ending people’s homelessness, not just feeding and sheltering
Men’s Shelter– 70 Emergency Shelter Beds
– 14 Male Veteran Beds
Family Center– 30 Emergency Shelter Beds
– 10 Female Veteran Beds
Transitional Living Center – TLC– 4 Bedrooms
– Up to 4 families
Where we are today
Clinical Services
Clinical staff = multidisciplinary team of front-line staff, case-managers, medical staff, psychiatrists and counselors
12 front-line staff 11 counselors, case managers, etc. 3 psychiatrists Many masters-level students, legal interns
and externs, medical and nursing students
Clinical Services
Legal
– Since 2006, has provided free civil legal services to all guests
– Focus on disability claims, VA benefits, family law, landlord tenant issues, birth certificates and identification
– Partnership between Legal Aid, Chas. School of Law, Charleston Co. Bar
Clinical Services
Veterans Services
– 14 Male Veteran Beds
– 10 Female Veteran Beds
– Returned over 55% to self-sufficiency, higher than regional average
Crisis Ministries/VA Partnership
HUD/VASHVeterans’ Treatment CourtChild Support Initiative
Partnership Between Crisis Ministries and Ralph H. Johnson VA
Medical CenterTwo VA Programs
-HCHV Clinic
-Grant per diem program
-five staff
-HUD/VASH
-Housing resource
-three staff (one vacancy)
HUD/VASH Case Managers obtain clients:
-Housing Resource Walk-In clinic held three
times weekly
-referrals from HCHV program
-referrals from Crisis Ministries
-other referral sources within VA hospital and
walk-ins
Crisis Ministries Case Managers
-Take referrals for Crisis Ministries Veterans
Transitional Dorm
-Coordinate referrals for Up & Out funds or
HPRP funds
-Homeless Justice Project accepts referrals from
HUD/VASH case managers (referred clients may or
may not be eligible for HUD/VASH program)
Keys to Positive Outcomes and Stability
-intensive case management
-home visits/office visits-number of visits individualized to client
-monthly life skills groups
-Charleston Housing Authority keeps HUD/VASH clients on rolls for six months post discharge
from program
What Would Make HUD/VASH
More Successful
-clients obtain VA benefits quicker
-more HUD vouchers available for clients
-more affordable housing
-more employment opportunities for veterans
Crisis Ministries/VA Partnership
ABA Commission on Homeless and Poverty Initiative
Veteran’s Treatment Court
-partnership between Crisis Ministries, VA
Justice Outreach Coordinator, Probate Court,
Solicitor’s Office, and Public Defender’s
Office
Crisis Ministries/VA Partnership
ABA Commission on Homeless and Poverty Initiative
Veteran’s Child Support Clinic– Project to address unresolved child support issues
– Nine Pilot sites: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago,
Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle, and
Washington DC