National Coalition for Homeless Veterans 16th Annual NCHV Conference and
Membership Meeting 2013 May 29-31
Washington, D.C.
Ending Veteran Homelessness…
Ralph CooperCommunity & Residential Veteran Service Coordinator
Cloudbreak Communities
The Homeless Experience of
African American Veterans
Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Congressman Al GreenHome for Heroes Act
Homes for Heroes ActHomes for Heroes Act
PASSED PASSED
Problems Vets face on returning home
§Lack of affordable housing§Access to stable health care §Consistent amount of income §Post-traumatic stress disorder §Substance abuse
§ The percentage of homeless veterans has decreased
§ Minority veterans are still overrepresented within the homeless veteran population
§ Successful programs from the community are in place to address the needs of minority veterans
OVERALL STATISTICS.
§ African American veterans make up 35.1% of the homeless veteran population, compared to 18.9% of veterans in poverty, and 10.4% of all veterans
§ Hispanic veterans comprise 5.1% of homeless veterans, 4.1% of poor veterans, and 3.4% of all veterans
§ Non-Hispanic White veterans made up 52.1% of homeless veterans, compared to 70.3% of veterans in poverty and 81.5% of all veterans
Race and Ethnicity current statistics
§ While almost half of veterans in general are age 62 and older, veterans in the 31-50 and 51-61 age groups have the greatest percentages of homeless veterans
§ They are each almost equally represented at 41% of the homeless veteran population
§ Veterans between 18 and 30 make up 8.8%, and veterans again 62 and older make up 8.6%
AGEcurrent statistics
Importance of Services and Benefits
These people risk their lives in a army
for our freedomvolunteer
African Americans have fought in every war of the US, including Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican-
American War, Civil War, Spanish American War, WorldWars, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other conflicts
HOUSTON IS 4TH
LARGEST CITY IN U.S.
IS MAKING GREAT STRIDES IS MAKING GREAT STRIDES IN THE RACE IN THE RACE
TO END HOMELESSNESS TO END HOMELESSNESS FOR OUR VETERANSFOR OUR VETERANS
AND TO HELP BY PROVIDING AND TO HELP BY PROVIDING BENEFITS AND SUPPORT SERVICESBENEFITS AND SUPPORT SERVICES
HOUSTON
Outreach
Case Management
Health care services
Daily living services
Personal financial planning
Transportation services
Fiduciary and payee services
Legal services
Child care services
Housing counseling services
HOUSTONProvides eligible Veterans with assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits to help them acquire permanent housing on a sustainable
basis, which includes time-limited third party payments to landlords, utilities, moving companies, and licensed child care providers
AS WELL AS
Cloudbreak Houston was a major player in housing 100 veteran homeless in
100 days
HOUSTON
Cloudbreak Houstonand HUD/VASH Partnerships
Houston Housing Authority (HHA)Harris County Housing AuthorityDepartment of Veterans Affairs
§Enabled nearly 200 veterans to be Housed in our facilities using VASH Vouchers
§Supportive Services for Veteran Families helped pay for deposits and first months rents
§2014 budget includes $75 million for Houston Housing and $300 million for Department of Veterans Affairs
Midtown Houston
Improvements and
full occupancy
November 11, 2012 Cloudbreak Communities
broke ground on Travis Street Apartments, 192 permanent affordable
tax-credit efficiency apartments
for homeless Veterans
recently completed
TRAVIS STREET PLAZA
Travis Street Apartments at Greenspoint Mall
Mayor Annise Parker and veteran Elvin Blackat ceremony marking the success of
Housing Houston’s Heroes, a multi-agency program
Housing Houston’s Heroes Ceremony
Attended by Attended by Mayor Anise Parker andMayor Anise Parker and
Houston Veterans Affairs Houston Veterans Affairs Director Buddy Grantham Director Buddy Grantham
HOUSTONHomeless Database designed to improve help for more than 6400 homeless
§ To quote Jerry Patterson, Texas Land Commissioner, Lt Col, USMCR (Retired), who spoke at the Houston VA Cemetery on Memorial Day 2013, “God bless those who laid down their lives in the defense of liberty and the millions of American veterans we have lost through the years.”
§ And I would like to add, that there are many, many others who answered the call, served their country, and returned home alive, but found themselves homeless.
We have been doing fantastic work in
HOUSTON
We are Getting Closer to Our 2015 Goal
City of Houston registers homeless individuals and families which includes homeless Vets
§Database spurs fast action§Tailors benefits and other services to the homeless population
We remember 3 Important ways to accelerate progress
§Faster Connections to Permanent Housing
§Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Every Veteran
§Stronger Bridges to Mainstream Benefits
Less Than 1,000 Days Until the 2015 Goal
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER
THANK YOU