National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
Encyclopedia
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
governed by a 17-member board of directors — is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.
NCHV also serves as the primary liaison between the nation’s care providers, the U.S. Congress and the executive branch agencies charged with helping them succeed in their work. NCHV’s advocacy has strengthened and increased funding for virtually every federal homeless veteran assistance program in existence today.
Under a technical assistance grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor, NCHV provides guidance and information about program development, administration, governance and funding to all of the nation’s homeless veteran service providers.
Congressman Bob Filner, Former Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said "People don't want to look at the homeless. But they will look at, or think about, or maybe support dealing with homeless veterans."
, combat fatique, and during the Civil War, it was known as Soldier's Heart
. The signature wound of Middle East conflicts in the 2000s is Traumatic Brain Injury, from which many homeless combat veterans are suffering.
Estimates of how many homeless veterans there currently are on the streets of the US vary because it is difficult to conduct a census of the homeless population. Dr. Jon Nachison, one of the original co-founders of the San Diego Stand Down, believes that "it's somewhere around 250,000." "Close to 40% of the homeless are veterans," according to Gary Parker, Program Director at VVSD (Veterans Village of San Diego). "With the influx of veterans coming back from the current conflicts, we expect those numbers to rise." Parker himself was a homeless veteran for a period of time and now works with homeless veterans who have committed to a one-year program onsite at the Veterans Village of San Diego, formerly known as Vietnam Veterans of San Diego.
When Dr. Nachison and fellow Vietnam veteran, Robert Van Keuren created the Stand Down in 1988, "Their basic premise was that this would be a community intervention which encouraged wide participation among service providers, both veteran specific and general, and sought the opinions of homeless veterans themselves to make known what was needed to get them off the streets and reintegrated into the community as productive members." Al Pavich, Former Commander and CEO Emeritus of VVSD (Veterans Village of San Diego), who helped coordinate the Stand Down, said "We had enough meals for 150 and 700 showed up." Since its inception, Stand Down has assisted thousands of homeless veterans.
unveiled his department’s comprehensive plan to end homelessness among veterans, stating:
Upon the summit's conclusion, NCHV published a detailed account of Shinseki's address and the proposed five-year plan, titled "VA Summit Frames Plan to End Veteran Homelessness." On August 5, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor announced 23 grants totaling $5,436,148 to provide homeless veterans with job training aimed at helping them succeed in civilian careers. The grants are being awarded by the department's Veterans' Employment and Training Service through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. The grants announced in August of 2011, are the first of a possible four years of annual awards contingent upon satisfactory performance and congressional appropriations.
Three of the smaller programs available for homeless veterans are Inpatient and Outpatient Health Care, Readjustment Counseling Centers, and Outreach. Inpatient and Outpatient Health Care is simply the VA centers providing health services for veterans in-house. The Outpatient portion is provided by hospitals and clinics that can provide veterans out of house with most treatments, whether it be physical or mental injuries or illnesses, such as alcohol and substance abuse treatment or rehabilitation treatment. Readjustment Counseling Centers, also known as Vet Centers, assist veterans through community outreach. Services such as individual, group or family counseling are offered to help veterans overcome psychological problems they may be experiencing with are inadvertently causing their homelessness or preventing them from taking care of themselves. Finally, Outreach simply consists of staff from the many VA offices regularly visiting shelters and community centers where veterans are to do all they can to help improve their lives.
Many cities in upstate New York
have launched initiatives on this front via cooperation between Syracuse's branch of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
and The VA. Since the VA was created in 2008, permanent housing has been provided for around 329 homeless veteran out of the estimated 131,000 that can be found on any given night in America. New York, Florida
, Texas
, California
, and Oregon
together contain around half of these homeless veterans. Housing Authorities in cities such as Rome
, Albany
, Syracuse
, Rochester
and Amherst
, have all been steadily increasing the number of homeless veterans put in permanent housing in the past year. The joint collaboration is known as HUD's Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing Program, or HUD-VASH Program. HUD-VASH reaches homeless veterans through local Veteran Affairs Medical Centers, which are located in all the aforementioned cities. Vouchers are then provided to local housing agencies to be distributed to homeless veterans based on need and prevalence. These veterans rent privately owned housing while only devoting 30% of their income to the rent: HUD-VASH covers the rest.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
governed by a 17-member board of directors — is the resource and technical assistance center for a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for hundreds of thousands of homeless veterans each year.
NCHV also serves as the primary liaison between the nation’s care providers, the U.S. Congress and the executive branch agencies charged with helping them succeed in their work. NCHV’s advocacy has strengthened and increased funding for virtually every federal homeless veteran assistance program in existence today.
Under a technical assistance grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor, NCHV provides guidance and information about program development, administration, governance and funding to all of the nation’s homeless veteran service providers.
Congressman Bob Filner, Former Chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said "People don't want to look at the homeless. But they will look at, or think about, or maybe support dealing with homeless veterans."
Homelessness among Veterans
Homeless veterans have existed since the Peloponnesian War. A mental condition that many homeless veterans share is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which has also been known as shell shockShell Shock
Shell Shock, also known as 82nd Marines Attack was a 1964 film by B-movie director John Hayes. The film takes place in Italy during World War II, and tells the story of a sergeant with his group of soldiers....
, combat fatique, and during the Civil War, it was known as Soldier's Heart
Soldier's heart
Soldier's heart may refer to:*Da Costa's syndrome, also referred to as Soldier's heart.*Soldier's Heart , a historical novel by John Edward Ames.*Soldier's Heart , a historical novella by Gary Paulsen....
. The signature wound of Middle East conflicts in the 2000s is Traumatic Brain Injury, from which many homeless combat veterans are suffering.
Estimates of how many homeless veterans there currently are on the streets of the US vary because it is difficult to conduct a census of the homeless population. Dr. Jon Nachison, one of the original co-founders of the San Diego Stand Down, believes that "it's somewhere around 250,000." "Close to 40% of the homeless are veterans," according to Gary Parker, Program Director at VVSD (Veterans Village of San Diego). "With the influx of veterans coming back from the current conflicts, we expect those numbers to rise." Parker himself was a homeless veteran for a period of time and now works with homeless veterans who have committed to a one-year program onsite at the Veterans Village of San Diego, formerly known as Vietnam Veterans of San Diego.
Evolution of the Stand Down
According to an article in East County Magazine,
Stand Down is a three-day event that allows homeless veterans to come in off the streets for a shower, hot meals and a change of clothing. Additionally, the veterans also receive medical, dental and holistic treatment, as well as counseling and legal advice from caring volunteers. The San Diego Stand Down became the model for dozens of other Stand Downs that have been generated across the country by people who thought it a tragedy to have our war heroes sleeping on our streets.
When Dr. Nachison and fellow Vietnam veteran, Robert Van Keuren created the Stand Down in 1988, "Their basic premise was that this would be a community intervention which encouraged wide participation among service providers, both veteran specific and general, and sought the opinions of homeless veterans themselves to make known what was needed to get them off the streets and reintegrated into the community as productive members." Al Pavich, Former Commander and CEO Emeritus of VVSD (Veterans Village of San Diego), who helped coordinate the Stand Down, said "We had enough meals for 150 and 700 showed up." Since its inception, Stand Down has assisted thousands of homeless veterans.
VA's Plan to End Veteran Homelessness in Five Years
On Nov. 3, 2009, at the "VA National Summit Ending Homelessness among Veterans," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric ShinsekiEric Shinseki
Eric Ken Shinseki is a retired United States Army four-star general who is currently serving as the 7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His final U.S. Army post was as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army...
unveiled his department’s comprehensive plan to end homelessness among veterans, stating:
Many of you have been working the issue of veteran homelessness for a long time – as members of the Interagency Council on Homelessness or the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans or the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans. ... I’m the newcomer here today, so let me reiterate that this is not a summit on homeless veterans – it’s a summit to end homelessness among veterans. That’s our purpose. President Obama and I are personally committed to ending homelessness among veterans within the next five years.
Upon the summit's conclusion, NCHV published a detailed account of Shinseki's address and the proposed five-year plan, titled "VA Summit Frames Plan to End Veteran Homelessness." On August 5, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor announced 23 grants totaling $5,436,148 to provide homeless veterans with job training aimed at helping them succeed in civilian careers. The grants are being awarded by the department's Veterans' Employment and Training Service through the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. The grants announced in August of 2011, are the first of a possible four years of annual awards contingent upon satisfactory performance and congressional appropriations.
New York State
The VA has a large branch in New York State that offer a wide variety of programs and resources for homeless veterans in the state. Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) is the central program which provides extensive support such as supported housing systems, physical and psychiatric exams, Drop-In-Centers, treatment, referrals and other services. Over 135 HCHV sites are operating in New York State currently, making it the largest arm of the NYSVA. Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) is the next largest branch and offers its services to homeless veterans who suffered some health problem but do not need to be hospitalized for an extended period of time. In addition to these programs, the NYSVA gives over 17 billion dollars a year to disabled veterans in need, which becomes the primary source of income for many veterans and enables them to combat homelessness.Three of the smaller programs available for homeless veterans are Inpatient and Outpatient Health Care, Readjustment Counseling Centers, and Outreach. Inpatient and Outpatient Health Care is simply the VA centers providing health services for veterans in-house. The Outpatient portion is provided by hospitals and clinics that can provide veterans out of house with most treatments, whether it be physical or mental injuries or illnesses, such as alcohol and substance abuse treatment or rehabilitation treatment. Readjustment Counseling Centers, also known as Vet Centers, assist veterans through community outreach. Services such as individual, group or family counseling are offered to help veterans overcome psychological problems they may be experiencing with are inadvertently causing their homelessness or preventing them from taking care of themselves. Finally, Outreach simply consists of staff from the many VA offices regularly visiting shelters and community centers where veterans are to do all they can to help improve their lives.
Many cities in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
have launched initiatives on this front via cooperation between Syracuse's branch of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
and The VA. Since the VA was created in 2008, permanent housing has been provided for around 329 homeless veteran out of the estimated 131,000 that can be found on any given night in America. New York, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
together contain around half of these homeless veterans. Housing Authorities in cities such as Rome
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
, Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and Amherst
Amherst, New York
Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 122,366. This represents an increase of 5.0% from the 2000 census. The town is named for Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer of the colonial period...
, have all been steadily increasing the number of homeless veterans put in permanent housing in the past year. The joint collaboration is known as HUD's Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing Program, or HUD-VASH Program. HUD-VASH reaches homeless veterans through local Veteran Affairs Medical Centers, which are located in all the aforementioned cities. Vouchers are then provided to local housing agencies to be distributed to homeless veterans based on need and prevalence. These veterans rent privately owned housing while only devoting 30% of their income to the rent: HUD-VASH covers the rest.