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