8/9/2019 Follow Roadmap To End Veteran Homelessness

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February 9, 2015 SAN DIEGO BUSINESS JOURNAL Page 63www.sdbj.com

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COMMENTARY Editorials, letters, columns and other opinions

Follow Roadmap to End Veteran HomelessnessUnited Way of

San Diego and citypartners recentlymade their rst push

into the San Diegocommunity to in-form veterans thatpermanent housingsolutions will beavailable as early asmid-February. If thecommunity and SanDiego businessesband together withefforts currently un-derway, 2015 willbe a radical turningpoint for the veter-an and chronicallyhomeless popula-tion, as they are re-

integrated back intothe workforce and society as valuablecontributing citizens.

Provided that efforts are executedwell, the region will have a sustainableroadmap for future retention efforts.There’s also an opportunity cost atstake for the business community,because helping eradicate homelessnesswill allow for more time and energyto be directed to other quality of lifematters such as improved economicdevelopment.

It’s been eight years since Presi-dent Obama, prior to his election,challenged the nation at a town hallmeeting in Iowa to have “zero toler-ance” for any veteran sleeping on the

streets, suggesting that this nationaltragedy is every person’s responsibilityto shoulder. Albeit a long time coming,it’s clear that we are now at a pivotalpoint in regional and national historyfor homeless initiatives.

In 2009, former VA Secretary Eric K.Shinseki introduced the Zero Home-lessness Initiative, with a 2015 “hardstop” deadline to ending veteran home-

lessness. At the 2014 National Con-ference on Ending Homelessness, heldin Washington D.C., Michelle Obama made a poignant statement about vet-eran homelessness being “a stain on thesoul of this nation.”

Just a month prior, the rst ladycreated the Mayor’s Challenge toengage cities with a commitment to endveteran homelessness by 2015. MayorKevin Faulconer signed this agreementand has since joined with President andCEO Kevin Crawford of United Way ofSan Diego, 25 Cities San Diego and theNational Alliance to End Homeless-ness. 25 Cities San Diego is a nationaleffort to come alongside 25 communi-

ties to accelerate and align with existingefforts toward ending veteran andchronic homelessness.

The goal is to place veterans in safeand stable permanent homes, by pri-oritizing individual and specic needswith corresponding services such ashousing vouchers. North County hasalready spearheaded efforts towards“Zero” chronic and Veteran homeless,beginning in early January 2015.

Through partnerships with privatelandlords, 25 Cities San Diego will usethe Vulnerability Index-Service Priori-tization and Decision Assistance Tool(VI-SPDAT), to target resources toveterans and the chronically homelessrst, and build a Coordinated Assess-

ment and Housing placement (CAHP)system to service those with the great-est need. In fact, within the rst 100days of 25 Cities San Diego’s initiallaunch in downtown in June 2014,more than 2,200 people were assessed

and housed, securing San Diego as oneof 68 U.S communities to participate inZero: 2016, a national campaign to endveteran and chronic homelessness.

Looking at national numbers, theU.S Department of Veteran Affairs’ 2014 Point-in-Time (PIT) count re-vealed about 50,000 homeless veteranswere without safe and stable housingon any single given night in January2014.

The homeless in our region are SanDiego’s own. These are our neighbors,future employees and business partners,many currently residing on the frontporch of our business establishments.Turning a blind eye is no longer anoption to this ticking time bomb of ourveteran and chronic homelesspopulation.

At this year’s conclusion, in addition

to housing, the hope is to also havemany former veteran and chronicallyhomeless punching a time clock. Morethan ever, there’s a call to the businesscommunity to extend their employmentreach to those willing and able to work.The resulting byproduct will be a stron-ger economy, greater business develop-ment and improved quality of life.

To date, veteran and chronic home-lessness initiatives have been partiallysuccessful in other cities such as NewOrleans, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.San Diego, America’s Finest City, cando better.

We have the opportunity to serve as abeacon to the nation at large of the pow-er demonstrated through strong commu-

nity and business collaboration, furtherevidenced by the kindness of those thatlive and work in our city and region.

Kevin Crawford is CEO of UnitedWay of San Diego. Shannon McCrary is

 founder of America’s Kindest City.

COMMENTARY

Shannon McCrary

COMMENTARY

Kevin Crawford 

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Hospice:The 6,100-square-foot home houses onlysix patients at a time, with the aim ofmaintaining a quiet and homelike setting.

A more traditional model is to send ahospice worker to a patient’s home forend-of-life care, but sometimes patients

need more aggressive medical or psy-chosocial management than family canprovide at home.

“The hospicehome allows us theopportunity to havethe complements ofa health care facility,with the environ-ment of a very com-fortable home,” saidSuzi Johnson, vicepresident of Sharp HospiceCare.

The home is outtted with a medita-tion room, butler’s kitchen, and largedining and living areas big enough toaccommodate visiting family and friends.

BonitaView Home is one of three simi-lar models in San Diego County, alongwith LakeView Home  in La Mesa andParkView Home in Del Cerro.

The homes are built in establishedresidential neighborhoods, and staffedwith registered nurses, social workers,bereavement counselors, spiritual carecounselors, a cook and a medical director.

The Comfort of HomeThe BonitaView Home is one of a

gamut of options for patients in need ofaround-the-clock care. Most hospice care isprovided at home — with a family membertypically serving as the primary caregiver.

“All of our research shows that themajority of patients want to die at homesurrounded by loved ones,” said Judi

Lund Person, a spokesperson for theNational Hospice and Palliative CareOrganization. “One of the reasons thathospice facilities have developed is toprovide a homelike atmosphere that doesnot feel like a hospital.”

Currently, hospice care is often deliveredat hospitals, nursing homes and assistedliving facilities depending on the intensityof the patient’s needs. With an increasingolder population demographic, thoseneeds will only become more demanding.

According to U.S. Health and HumanServices, there were 39.6 million people65 years or older in 2009. By 2030, thatnumber is projected to grow to 72.1 mil-lion — what many health care experts

call the “aging population time bomb.”Not only is the aging population get-ting larger, but people are living longerthan ever before. This has signicantlyincreased the demand on hospital re-sources, Johnson said.

“Hospitals have changed a lot overtime because people are living to beso old,” Johnson said. “We’re not well

prepared in our society to be providingsupportive services to people who arefrail, elderly and on the end-of-life carepathway. When I think about healthcare in the future, it really comes downto health care providers putting moreresources out in the community insteadof people going to the hospital.”

Cultural ShiftJohnson said America needs a cultural

shift when it comes to the perception ofthe life cycle.

“The end of our lives should be honoredand treated as respectfully as the beginningof life,” Johnson said, comparing the newhospice homes to birthing centers. “Ourculture has sensitized us to be afraid of dy-ing. We think that if we don’t talk about it, itdoesn’t exist. Really what we’re doing in ourhospice home is normalizing for a patientand family what really, truly is normal.”

Sharp HospiceCare raised $3.6 millionto build the BonitaView Home over athree-year fundraising campaign.

Scott McMillin, chairman of the

board of The Corky McMillin Cos., andhis wife, Susan, led the donation roundwith a $250,000 gift to Sharp Hospice-Care toward its Homes for Hospicecampaign in 2011.

Johnson said Sharp HospiceCare of-cials plan to build a new hospice homein San Diego County every ve years, oras funds become available.

Suzi Johnson