Introduction
This publication was produced by the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
(NCHV) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS). It contains profiles of some of the nation's
most effective homeless veteran employment assistance programs, and is
designed to inform community-based organizations and government agencies
about the essential components of a comprehensive program that can be replicated
and can successfully compete for federal grants. All of the organizations
highlighted in this work receive grants under the DOL-VETS Homeless Veterans
Reintegration Program, and most have served as guideposts for other community-based
homeless service providers that have developed employment assistance programs.
The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) is the only federal program
wholly dedicated to providing employment assistance to homeless veterans.
HVRP is funded by DOL-VETS in compliance with the requirements of 38
United States Code, Section 2021, as added by Section 5 of Public Law
107-95, the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001. Section
2021 requires the Secretary of Labor to conduct, directly or through grant
or contract, such programs as the Secretary determines appropriate to
expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force.
HVRP
programs fill a special need because they serve veterans who may be
shunned by other programs and services because of problems such as severe
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), long histories of substance abuse,
serious psychosocial problems, legal issues, and those who are HIV-positive.
These veterans require more time-consuming, specialized, intensive assessment,
referrals and counseling than is possible in other programs that work
with veterans seeking employment.
The employment focus of HVRP distinguishes
it from most other programs for the homeless, which concentrate on more
immediate needs such as emergency shelter, food and substance abuse treatment.
While these are critical components of any homeless program, and grantees
are required to demonstrate that their clients' needs in those areas are met, the objective of
HVRP programs is to enable homeless veterans to secure and keep jobs that
will allow them to re-enter mainstream society as productive citizens.
Historical Funding of HVRP Program
|
Fiscal Year |
Amount
In millions |
1996 |
$0 |
1997 |
$0 |
1998 |
$3.0 |
1999 |
$3.0 |
2000 |
$9.5 |
2001 |
$16.9 |
2002 |
$17.9 |
2003 |
$17.7 |
2004 |
$19.0 |
In FY 1996 and 1997, HVRP received no funding from Congress.
In FY 1998, Congress authorized $3 million for the program. In FY 2000, through
a competitive application process, DOL-VETS awarded 43 urban HVRP grants
and 11 non-urban grants to community-based organizations and government agencies
to provide employment and other supportive services to more than 7,800 homeless
veterans at a cost of more than $9.5 million.
The following year, more than $16.9 million was allocated to fund 42 urban
and 11 non-urban second-year grants, while an additional 27 urban grants
were added to the list. That year, more than 14,150 homeless veterans received
employment assistance and supportive services through the program.
During
FY 2002 and 2003, a combined $35.62 million in HVRP grants were awarded
to fund 62 and 43 programs, respectively, offering employment and supportive
services to more than 28,000 homeless veterans. The average cost per
job placement reported by grantees in FY 2003 was $2,040, lower than the
$2,308 reported in FY 2000; and the FY 2003 successful job placement rate
of 68% was substantially higher than the 53% reported in FY 2000.
Methodology
NCHV announced the HVRP Best Practices Project after it secured a
technical assistance grant through the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service in August 2003. Questionnaires were then mailed
to community-based organizations and government agencies that expressed
an interest in being considered for participation in the project.
Because
of the objectives of the project to inform service providers
about HVRP, the essential components of an employment assistance program,
and the competitive grant process we sought to include representative
programs from both urban and rural areas, faith-based and community-based
organizations, large and small operations, and government agencies that
serve as community service network centers.
Once the participants were
selected, information from the questionnaires, follow-up interviews
and reports to the Department of Labor was used to compile the program profiles.
Organizations and agencies that were selected for inclusion in the project
received a $500 stipend to offset the administrative cost of their participation.
Executive Summary
California
New Directions Inc. Los Angeles
PATH Los Angeles
Swords to Plowshares San Francisco
Vietnam Veterans of California Santa Rosa
Kentucky
Volunteers of America
of Kentucky and Tennessee Louisville
Maryland
Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training Baltimore
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Veterans Inc. Worcester
Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse Roxbury
Michigan
Michigan Veterans Foundation Detroit, MI
Minnesota
Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans Minneapolis
New York
Black Veterans for Social Justice Inc. Brooklyn
Salvation Army Rochester Rochester
Saratoga Rural Preservation Company Ballston Spa
Veterans Outreach Center Rochester
Ohio
Volunteers of America of Central Ohio Cleveland
Oregon
Central City Concern Portland
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and
Education Center Philadelphia
Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program of W. Pennsylvania Pittsburgh
Tennessee
Operation Stand Down Nashville Nashville
Texas
American GI Forum San Antonio
Washington
Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Olympia
Executive Summary
The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) Best
Practices Project was made possible through a partnership between the
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) and the U.S. Department
of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS). The objective of the project is to present
profiles of successful homeless veteran employment assistance programs
funded by DOL-VETS as an information and development resource for community
and faith-based organizations and government entities that are planning
to implement such programs, or are exploring ways to enhance the programs
they already administer.
Compiling the 21 profiles presented in this report required
nearly a year of information gathering through questionnaires, interviews
and research. Great care was exercised to ensure the inclusion of programs
representing the full range of program types urban, rural, faith-based and community-based
organizations, local projects, regional networks, and public agency homeless
veteran service providers.
Critical Universal Program Components
Though the geopolitical locations,
organizational structure and populations served by these programs vary
widely, there are several critical components that are shared by all HVRP
employment assistance programs:
Community
Collaboration The HVRP program is designed to serve homeless
veterans facing a multitude of barriers to employment, and client needs
most often include the entire continuum of care: immediate access to emergency
shelter, food, clothing, personal hygiene facilities, medical care, dental
care, mental health assessment and services, transitional housing, transportation
assistance, personal development counseling, legal aid, and employment
readiness and placement services. No single organization or government
agency can provide all of these services. Successful HVRP programs enter
into contracts or detailed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with local
government agencies and community and faith-based service providers to support
their employment assistance programs. To their credit, none of the participating
organizations in this study dwelled on the importance of these MOUs when
competing for and securing federal program grants, even though that is certainly
the reality. However, all of them identified network collaboration as the
single most effective means of enhancing the quality of services provided
by their programs.
Comprehensive Assessments and Reports All HVRP programs utilize
client intake assessments and progress reports to identify individual needs
and to develop practical individual performance plans. These documents identify
the services that are needed to ensure the success of each client. But they
also serve as critical planning tools, charting the organization's
dependence on the services provided by its partners and the degree to which
clients' needs are being met. This information was identified as a
critical element in the planning process and continuous development of even
the most experienced HVRP programs. More detailed assessments yield the most
valuable client assistance and case management plans. Diligent client progress
and outcomes reporting attest to the program's success, while certifying
the need for available services and the need to expand those services.
This information is useful not only for HVRP and internal management purposes,
but for participation in Continuum of Care planning and submitting applications
for other federal grant programs.
Developing Employment Opportunities It may seem like stating the
obvious, but there is a tremendous difference between preparing someone
for the workforce and actually ensuring homeless veteran clients secure gainful
employment. Successfully navigating through the immediate barriers to
employment homelessness,
poverty, need for vocational training, legal problems and disabilities is
only the beginning. Approaching a potential employer with clients who
have compromised work and personal histories is, at best, a herculean
challenge. All of the HVRP programs featured in this project ensure success
by creating job opportunities for their clients. In some cases, it is
through cooperative agreements with local businesses or through subsidized
employment and training programs for special needs populations. In some cases,
it is through job-specific training at HVRP grantee facilities and subsequent
placement, or on-the-job training facilitated by case management and employer
support services. Some of the HVRP grantees in this study operate businesses
that employ homeless veteran program participants directly, offering them
work experience and management training they would otherwise be denied. In
all cases, a considerable investment is required to ensure there are jobs
for homeless veterans who are working to re-enter the workforce.
General Observations
Core Partners The need for strong collaborative agreements has already
been mentioned, but this study demonstrated a special emphasis on specific
partners that are absolutely essential to the success of any homeless
veteran employment program.
- Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service
(HVRP, Disabled Veterans Outreach Program, Local Veterans Employment
Representatives, on-line employment resources).
- Department of Veterans
Affairs (Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration,
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services).
- Social Security
Administration (SSI, SSDI, employment assistance services for disabled
workers).
- Faith Community In many communities and rural areas, these
organizations provide a large percentage (if not the majority) of public
assistance from private sources. National organizations such as Volunteers
of America, Salvation Army and Catholic Charities have local programs
that work within service provider networks.
- Local Continuum of Care Committees Essential
networking to identify available supportive services and to develop linkages
with employers offering job opportunities for special needs populations.
- State Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services Offices.
Funding Determines Capacity, Not Quality All of the HVRP grantees
that participated in this project make an earnest effort to extend employment
assistance services to as many clients as possible. Training and employment
preparation services are often enhanced by program partners, but program
objectives and goals are clearly stated in HVRP grant proposals based
on the anticipated costs of services provided by the applicant.
A great majority
of the organizations in this project reported that they accepted more
clients than the number stipulated in their program plans. However, there
was no discernable decline in successful employment placements that could
be attributed to that extended outreach. Most often, the programs that failed
to achieve projected placement goals were impacted by local economic factors,
or were working with large groups of homeless veterans facing serious or
multiple barriers to employment. The data seems to support what several program
administrators claimed during the project: once a sound employment assistance
program is developed and implemented, funding levels primarily and directly
impact the number of veterans who can be helped, not the quality of the services
that are provided.
HVRP's Impact on Homeless Veteran Services All of the organizations
that participated in this project offered employment assistance to homeless
veterans to some degree before they received HVRP funding. Some have provided
those services for more than 30 years. However, the Homeless Veterans
Reintegration Program has allowed community and faith-based organizations
to establish employment assistance as a priority in their service delivery
plans. Through this program, DOL-VETS has acknowledged that employment
is the key to successful transition from homelessness to a life of self-reliance,
dignity and promise.
The program fosters inter-agency and community cooperation
among homeless service providers; offers supportive services and vocational
training for homeless veterans; and ultimately helps veterans overcome
significant barriers to employment and re-enter the workforce as productive
citizens. According to some of the program administrators who participated
in this project, one of the most important aspects of the HVRP program is
that it requires successful employment placements for homeless veterans.
Fulfilling that requirement necessarily enhances the performance and effectiveness
of the entire organization.
It is estimated that 23% of all homeless individuals are veterans. One
of the greatest challenges homeless veterans and their families face
is drug addiction. In 1999, the Interagency Council on Homelessness published "Homelessness:
Programs and the People They Serve." That study found that approximately
49% of veterans had experienced problems with alcohol during the month
prior to being surveyed, and that 31% had experienced problems with drugs.
Approximately 1 in 10 experienced problems with both alcohol and drug
abuse during the month before being surveyed. Mental health problems among
homeless veterans co-occurred with substance abuse at a rate of 28% during
the month prior to the survey. Drug and alcohol abuse among homeless veterans
was found to be more prevalent than among homeless non-veterans.
New Directions
Inc. (NDI), a Los Angeles nonprofit drug treatment center founded in
1989, knows well the need to serve homeless veterans with substance abuse
challenges, a significant subgroup within the LA homeless population,
estimated to number between 18,000 and 27,000.
The mission of NDI is "to provide veterans the tools they need to
increase their marketable skills, an environment where they can strengthen
their personal and social skills, and the opportunities to test these skills
in real world working and living situations while maintaining a focus on
the health and well-being of the individual." This is accomplished
through a combination of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, supportive transitional
housing and job training. In 2003, NDI provided supportive services to
more than 760 homeless veterans.
The work of NDI was enhanced in July
2001 when the organization began a computer training program funded by
a grant it received from the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). The grant was renewed in 2002, and
a new HVRP grant was approved for $230,137 in 2003. Under New Directions' vocational
program, homeless veterans who are frequently unable to access traditional
employment services receive vital assistance to re-enter the workforce.
In order for homeless individuals to become self-sufficient and independent,
they need to have stability in their lives, including housing, freedom
from addiction, and a consistent source of income. NDI utilizes HVRP
funding to prepare homeless veterans to return to the workforce. HVRP
funding makes it possible for NDI staff to provide computer training and
occupational skills training in culinary arts and human services.
Clients
may receive job training in paid, part-time human service positions at
NDI facilities, including detoxification coordinators, resident managers
and service coordinators. The opportunity for veterans to offer support to
other veterans helps clients believe they can succeed, and can lead to permanent
employment with New Directions or other social service agencies. More
than half of NDI's staff are graduates of the program.
In addition
to human service industry training, New Directions maintains three other
job training programs called "social enterprises," where
homeless individuals learn new skills in practical working environments.
NDI provides a culinary arts program, where homeless veterans receive
more than 700 hours of training and perform catering services for events
throughout Los Angeles. NDI also provides a handiworker/construction services
program, teaching carpentry, painting, repair and site clean-up skills.
The training course includes 240 hours of classroom study followed by on-site
experience.
The newest social enterprise NDI operates with the assistance
of the HVRP grant is a restaurant known as the Veterans' Village Diner. Located
on the grounds of the VA West Los Angeles Healthcare Center in Brentwood,
this 1950s-style diner is the result of a collaborative effort between NDI,
DOL and the community. The revitalization of a preexisting canteen began
after NDI partnered with a master's level business administration class
at the UCLA Anderson School of Business to create an action plan and budget.
The agency was then able to secure funding from the Liberty Hill Foundation
to refurbish the site and turn it into a thriving business serving the
public, including VA employees at nearby facilities. The goal of all of
the NDI work programs is to become successful enough to be self-sustaining,
and to provide additional funding to expand agency services.
NDI believes
that preparing homeless veterans with training and experience to enter
the workforce, mitigating other problems including drug addiction challenges,
and normalizing client social connections with family members helps
them to return to a sense of stability in their lives. The veteran can
then focus on future life goals with a positive outlook on life.
The Department
of Labor requires all grant recipients to institute job training programs
that connect with the community in unique and innovative ways and can
be replicated in other places. Pat Sheppard-Flores, NDI's Grant
Proposal Writer, believes the work training program NDI has established
can be successful elsewhere as long as there is strong cooperation between
a lead agency, other community organizations, and small businesses so
that appropriate guidance and supervision of participants is available throughout
the training process.
Successful implementation of the program is measured
in the third quarter of each grant year and is required for continued
funding. In 2003, New Directions met or exceeded every goal it set within
the HVRP grant, and the program has received funding for an additional year.
The HVRP program outcomes for NDI in 2003 include the following:
HVRP Program Outcomes FY
2003
|
|
|
|
|
Program Enrollments |
|
|
|
Vocational Assessments |
|
|
|
Educational Assessments |
|
|
|
Employment Placement |
|
|
|
Permanent housing placement |
|
|
|
Attended computer training |
|
|
|
New Directions addresses homeless veteran needs in a comprehensive,
community-driven, hands-on manner. It offers clients the opportunity to control
their addiction problems, to learn highly marketable skills and to rebuild
their ties with their families. HVRP funding enhances NDI by making occupational
skills training in human service and culinary training programs possible.
We find HVRP funding to be critical to the core of our job
training program, said New Directions Executive Director Toni Reinis. Last
year, 22 dually diagnosed veterans were placed in permanent jobs. NDI effectively
leverages local initiatives and resources to expand services to the homeless
veteran population, exemplifying how a modest amount of grant funding can
be multiplied when local organizations work together. For all of these reasons,
the NDI work training program is an HVRP best practice.
The shopping mall has become an
American icon within our society. We flock to it to purchase consumer
goods, to see movies, to take walks around miles of corridors, or to simply
hang out. It's a place for families, seniors,
teens a place for everyone. It's a one-stop haven for just
about all of our needs and wants. PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) has
created a new kind of American mall in Los Angeles, California. Instead of
a shopping mall, however, PATH has created a service mall for people who
are homeless or living in poverty. The PATHMall houses dozens of private
and public social service agencies in suites along a modern mall corridor.
There's a full-service employment agency, a substance abuse counseling
and treatment center, a mental health care office, a free medical clinic,
a public benefits center, community court, and even a beauty salon. If a
person is living in poverty or living on the streets, this mall provides
every service that she or he would need to overcome the barriers and access
to permanent housing and steady employment. PATH opened the PATHMall in 2002.
It is a collaborative of 20 community-based organizations and government
social service agencies that form a "one-stop shopping center" for
homeless individuals and families. It is part of a 40,000-square-foot
facility known as the PATH Regional Homeless Center. In the span of one year,
the mall transforms the lives of thousands of people, providing mental health
services to about 1,200 people; employment placement assistance to more
than 500; health care to about 850, and free haircuts and manicures to more
than 6,000.
The total operating budget of PATH is $3.8 million (FY 03-04). The program
first began in 1993, and Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) funding
through the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service
(DOL-VETS) was approved in April 2000. During the first year of HVRP funding,
the program received $103,441, and in the subsequent years it has received
$102,000 annually. The PATHFinders Job Center/PATHAcademy program utilizes
HVRP funding with a total budget of $127,000. The program is also supported
by the Department of Veteran Affairs Homeless Providers Grant and Per
Diem Program, Employees Community Foundation of Boeing Southern California;
and the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation.
Through its unique layout and design
PATHFinders/PATHAcademy is able to offer the following services to participants:
- Employment counseling: Employment
associates meet regularly with clients to perform individualized skills
assessments, provide career counseling and provide linkages to prospective
employers.
- Job preparation workshops: Workshops on resume-writing, interviewing
techniques and dressing for success are provided.
- Classroom training:
LAUSD instructors teach computer classes that help participants learn
the necessary skills to operate Microsoft Office Suite 2000 programs,
including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint.
- On-the-Job
Training: Vocation training and certification are offered through
CSC Certification, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and community partners
in Forklift Operation, Warehousing, Security and Maintenance.
- Employment
Resources: The job center provides access to on-site office resources
(computers, phones, fax, voice mail) for job hunting.
- Referrals to
Supportive Services: Clients gain access to the full range of service
providers located on-site in the PATHMall, including transitional
housing, healthcare, legal assistance, benefits and personal care services.
Since the inception of the program, PATH has made several adjustments
to respond to the unique service needs of its homeless veteran clients.
Staff have increased their emphasis on providing training and job placement
activities in specific vocations, such as security guards, forklift
operation and building maintenance. They have also increased their efforts
to ensure that clients are aware of and have access to on-the-job training
(office managing, building maintenance) and basic computer training.
These newer classes are very popular with the veterans, and have a much
higher rate of enrollment than the longer, 15-week computer training
course, which is often a problem for veterans who are looking for immediate
employment.
These services
are provided through strategic partnerships with several local organizations
that offer comprehensive employment and supportive services for homeless
veterans, including:
- DVOP/LVERs PATH works closely with Department of Labor Disabled
Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment Representatives
(LVER) to provide weekly specialized services to eligible veterans.
- WIA/One-Stop PATH maintains a service contract with the United
Auto Worker Labor Employment and Training Corporation (UAW-LETC) WorkSource
Center in South Los Angeles, which is funded by the Workforce Investment
Act. The contract expands employment assistance services to complement PATH's
development and training programs, and often creates cross-referrals to
other employment opportunities.
- Department of Veterans Affairs As
a Homeless Provider Grant and Per Diem Program grantee, PATH partners
with the VA to provide transitional housing and linkages to supportive
services for homeless veterans who come through the program and the
PATHMall.
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) The
organization has maintained service contracts with HUD for more than
eight years, and current grants support PATHFinders, the regional street
outreach team; the Access Center at the Regional Homeless Center; and
PATHWays Housing.
- Coordination of other Resources for Homeless Veterans PATH
offers a wealth of services beyond employment for homeless veterans. At the
PATHMall, veterans can access more than 20 private and public service agencies,
including Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, CLARE
Foundation, Gateways Hospital, Traveler's Aid Society and legal aid.
Staff also coordinate activities with larger, national veterans service
providers such as U.S. Veterans Initiative, which provides PATHFinders a
full-time intern and service referrals for clients.
To manage these collaborations, PATH utilizes formal memorandums of understanding
(MOUs) and constant communication between PATH and the personnel of participating
agencies.
The unique aspect of this program is the central location of the service
providers. Clients are able to walk into the mall, complete a single intake
process and begin addressing all of the complex issues relating to their
homelessness in one place. With this coordinated approach, each program enhances
the likelihood of success of the others, thus reducing the chance that people
will get frustrated or overwhelmed.
In addition to promoting longer client retention and more comprehensive
care, the mall service model reduces wasteful duplication of existing services
and promotes greater cost-effectiveness through shared resources, overhead
and a coordinated intake process. This collaboration allows each agency to
build its capacity by providing more comprehensive care with improved outcomes
at a lower cost-per-service. In addition to being a convenient location for
the clients, a sense of community is created around a centralized mission.
During the 2002-03 fiscal year, the program had difficulty achieving its
goals. The average wage at job placement was $8.49, with 44 employment placements.
The actual goal for the year was 65, but the slow pace of the economy and
the stagnant state of the job market adversely impacted the program's
success. As a result, the organization created a community advisory board
comprised of business owners, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and economic
development agency representatives. The board uses its professional expertise
and networks to connect PATH clients to employment opportunities. This initiative
has allowed PATH to greatly improve their placement goals in the current
fiscal year.
Another area where there was difficulty meeting program goals was permanent
housing placement. Staff discovered that most of the veterans referred to
the PATH program already had access to acceptable shelter, and if they were
not already housed, they were able to acquire housing at nearby shelters
without too many problems. In order to assist clients who are not housed,
PATH has strengthened partnerships with local agencies that place homeless
veterans. They have also been successful in reserving a number of beds for
veterans through PATH's housing programs.
The PATHMall has had considerable success moving people from homelessness
to self-sufficiency, and has been able to sharing its innovative model
with other communities in need. The program has been featured in national
and international media. ABC World News Tonight highlighted the PATHMall
and stated it is the only facility of its kind in the nation. Community leaders
throughout California, and representatives from Japan, Ireland and England
have visited the PATHMall to learn more about replicating the program
in their own cities.
Staff are currently engaged in developing resource and
technical assistance information to help organizations replicate the
social and supportive services mall model, and are close to publishing the
PATHMall Handbook, a how-to guide for building effective community and government
partnerships.
HVRP Program Outcomes July
2002 to June 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Program Enrollments |
|
|
|
Vocational Assessments |
|
|
|
Educational Assessments |
|
|
|
Employment Placement |
|
|
|
Permanent housing placement |
|
|
|
Average wage @ placement |
|
|
|
Swords to Plowshares is a community-based veterans self-help group founded
in 1974 to advocate for veterans' rights and to provide direct services
to veterans. Through the vets-helping-vets model, Swords works to help rebuild
the shattered lives of soldiers who were once put in harm's way to
serve and protect this nation. Swords' goal is to help homeless and
low-income veterans through direct services and advocacy for effective
public policy.
With more than 2,400 homeless veterans in San Francisco alone, Swords has
been the city's most prominent agency to care for disenfranchised veterans.
For those facing homelessness to substance abuse, legal issues to unemployment,
Swords is there for veterans every step of the way.
Located in San Francisco, Swords is recognized and respected nationwide
for its pioneering and effective work on behalf of veterans struggling with
homelessness and poverty. And for more than 25 years, Swords to Plowshares
has been the principal provider of employment services for homeless and low-income
veterans in the San Francisco area. Swords helps homeless veterans make the
transition to gainful employment by offering vocational counseling, life-skills
training, resume writing assistance and job referrals. In some cases, employers
who accept referrals from Swords can be reimbursed for training costs, and
the organization helps those companies apply for and obtain tax credits for
hiring its program participants.
Swords first received funding from the Department of Labor Veterans Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program in
1990 through the local Private Industry Council of San Francisco. Since then,
the program has successfully competed for funding consistently, with grants
ranging from $110,000 to $312,000. In 2003, the Swords HVRP program received
$250,000.
The program is focused on helping homeless veterans with barriers to full
employment. More than 50% of its clients are impacted by substance abuse
and mental health problems. More than 55% are between the ages of 45 and
61. Approximately 45% of clients are Vietnam Era Veterans. About 59% identify
themselves as being part of a minority community, the largest of which is
African-Americans. More than 90% of the clients are male.
Swords has a holistic approach to service delivery. In order to properly
address each veteran's needs, organized "units" administer
services ranging from transitional housing to comprehensive supportive services.
The Residential and Community Resources unit provides transitional housing,
housing assistance, assistance filing for VA benefits, and legal counseling.
The Supportive Services unit provides mental health counseling and temporary
housing assistance, both internally and through community service providers.
The employment services team works closely with other programs offered by
Swords and community-based organizations in the area to help stabilize
the veteran so he or she is able to fully participate in employment and
training activities. The majority of employment-related services are administered
internally.
Swords' HVRP employment and supportive services include:
- Job readiness assessment
- Vocational counseling
- Mental health and substance abuse counseling
- Pre-employment counseling
- Resume development/Interview techniques
- Financial support services
(transportation funds, clothing vouchers, food vouchers, tools, union
dues, uniforms, etc.)
- Housing assistance
- Job search/job placement assistance
- Retention counseling
- Support groups
When the program began in 1990, Swords was a sub-contractor with the Private
Industry Council, and charged with running a HVRP demonstration project.
In 1993, the Swords' HVRP program received the Department of Labor
grant directly and was able to nearly triple the amount of services offered
to veterans.
Through the years, the organization has been able to develop collaborations
with other community-based homeless service providers. These collaborations
have enhanced and expanded the support available for homeless veterans. During
the 10-year period from 1993 through 2003, the HVRP program has provided
supportive services to more than 1,800 veterans, and helped secure jobs for
more than 900. It is important to remember these numbers represent veterans
who otherwise might not have had access to the broad spectrum of services
needed to prepare for and gain steady employment.
Because of its links to more than 40 service providers in the San Francisco
area, Swords is a "One Stop Center" providing a continuum of
care with seamless service delivery, and is a certified "Access Point" in
accordance with the Workforce Investment Act. The agency is electronically
linked to partners offering resources that include substance abuse treatment,
mental health care, permanent supportive housing, life skills training, job
searches and career counseling. The San Francisco Career Link offers veterans
additional testing and vocational assessment for in-depth exploration of
their employment goals.
A Department of Labor Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) representative
is stationed once a week at Swords' main office through an agreement
with the local Employment Development Department (EDD) office. The Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) Comprehensive Homeless Center provides case management
counseling and recovery services for eligible clients. VA's Veterans
Industries operates the Compensated Work Therapy program for veterans with
mental illness or other serious barriers to employment, and its Vet Center
conducts group counseling sessions. These programs all have reciprocal referral
relationships with Swords to Plowshares.
Swords is also a charter member of the Treasure Island Homeless Development
Initiative (TIHDI). In May 2000, Swords established a transitional housing
program for homeless veterans at that location. The Presidio Veterans Academy
provides the veteran residential community with educational and training
opportunities.
Through the Private Industry Council (PIC), Swords operates on-the-job training
programs for eligible veterans under the Homeless Employment Collaborative
(HEC) and Title 1B of the Adult Workforce Investment Act. Swords is a member
of HEC and a member of the PIC Committee of Community Agencies (CCA). The
CCA actively advises the PIC on issues relating to providing job services
to economically disadvantaged job seekers.
Swords is a member organization of the California Association of Veteran
Service Agencies (CAVSA), a statewide association of community-based organizations
providing employment and training services to veterans with significant barriers
to employment, and the San Francisco Employment Committee, an EDD-sponsored
group of local veteran advocacy organizations. It meets monthly to coordinate
services, promote the hiring of veterans and plan the annual San Francisco
Veterans Job Fair.
Swords has also partnered with Goodwill Industries and Northern California
Service League in the San Francisco Training Partnership (SFTP). Homeless
and disadvantaged veterans receive short-term skills training for in-demand
occupations, and are then placed into training related jobs. Effective communication
between Swords and area employers ensures employment opportunities are available
for program participants.
General assistance benefits for eligible program participants are provided
through the County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) of the San Francisco Department
of Social Services. The county's Personal Assisted Employment Services
(PAES) program also refers veterans to the Swords program.
HVRP Program Outcomes 4th
Quarter 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
|
|
|
Total Agency Assessments |
|
|
|
Employment Placement |
|
|
|
Permanent housing placement |
|
|
|
Average wage at job placement |
|
|
|
Through its interaction with numerous government and community service organizations,
a stronger voice and enhanced service network have emerged. Services and
dollars are stretched more effectively through collaborative efforts.
Also, the ability to provide comprehensive services in-house permits a more
stable support system for the veteran, reducing the need to go to several
sites to secure needed assistance.
One of the greatest challenges veterans face, especially those who are homeless,
is obtaining work skills and securing employment. Without a steady income,
homeless veterans enrolled in programs designed to help them re-enter society
as productive, self-sufficient citizens will not succeed. Even veterans with
mental and physical disabilities, those who need permanent supportive housing
and other assistance, most often yearn for the added security and self-esteem
gained through employment.
The Department of Labor-Veteran's Employment and Training Service
(DOL-VETS) administers two employment assistance grant programs targeted
specifically to veterans, with the prime objective of helping homeless and
at-risk veterans secure and maintain gainful employment through training,
supportive services and job placement programs.
Vietnam Veterans of California (VVC) utilizes funding from both programs
to operate an extensive, coordinated employment assistance program for homeless
veterans in Northern California. With facilities in Santa Rosa, Sacramento,
Menlo Park and Eureka, VVC has maximized the benefits of the Homeless Veterans
Reintegration Program (HVRP) and Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP)
grants it receives to provide the full range of employment services from
resume and interview preparation to job placement and follow-up case management.
The organization also benefits from a state government that generously funds
successful employment services programs.
Introduction to VWIP
DOL-VETS administers the program by releasing competitive Solicitations
for Grant Applications (SGA) to state and local entities stipulating that
proposed programs will assist eligible veterans in re-entering the workforce.
VWIP grants are designed to last for 12 months and currently have a limit
of $255,000. While successful programs are able to apply for subsequent years,
there is no guarantee that funding will continue. Eligible veterans include:
- Veterans with a service connected disability
- Those who have served on
active duty in a war or campaign where a campaign badge was authorized
- Veterans who are recently separated from the military
- Veterans who
have significant barriers to employment, which includes issues that
result in or arise from homelessness.
At least 80% of the total funding of VWIP ($7.5 million in 2003-2004) must
be earmarked for the competitive grant process. State governments have traditionally
been the primary applicant to the federal government for these funds. The
states then publish a request for proposals (RFP) that local governments,
workforce investment boards, and community organizations apply to for funding.
The states provide oversight and monitoring of the approved programs and
frequently provide matching funds to increase employment opportunities.
In California, for example, the state government matches the VWIP funding
with Workforce Investment Act (WIA) discretionary dollars, which make up
15% of WIA funding. California is unique in that it matches the $850,000
grant from DOL-VETS with $6 million from the governor's discretionary
portion of WIA funds. In 2003, the state was able to fund 30 local programs,
the most extensive effort in the country. This almost equals the entire federal
funding commitment and clearly demonstrates the state with the largest veteran
population has the greatest commitment to provide employment and training
services.
Through the VWIP program, VVC is able to provide additional education and
vocational training support for veterans, while enhancing its considerable
efforts to explore and expand employment opportunities for them. Homeless
veterans who successfully complete their initial personal stabilization and
employment readiness programs through HVRP benefit directly from VWIP initiatives
at VVC.
VVC Homeless Veteran Employment Services
The success of the VVC employment services program depends on a highly motivated
professional staff and strong collaboration among hundreds of community-based
and government agency service providers across a large territory. From outreach
efforts to follow-up counseling, VVC staff provide positive reinforcement
and encouragement to clients who gradually learn to believe in themselves
again.
As with all HVRP grantees, VVC provides the full continuum of care to help
homeless veterans re-enter society as productive citizens. Outreach involves
homeless care providers, VA medical clinics and hospitals, the faith community,
veteran service organizations and charitable organizations throughout Northern
California. Emergency shelter prior to individual needs assessments and referrals
to mental health and substance abuse treatment programs are readily available.
Food, clothing, transportation assistance, personal hygiene and health care
are provided at all four VVC facilities or community partner organizations.
When veterans fail to meet VA eligibility requirements for services, faith-
and community-based organizations and state agencies step in to help.
Along with HVRP funds, VVC receives HUD funding to provide transitional
housing, and transitional housing is also available to program participants
at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in Sacramento and
Eureka and through the VA Grant and Per Diem program.
While adequate, diversified funding and collaboration are important to the
success of all homeless and employment programs, VVC Executive Director Peter
Cameron cites three other vital elements that are critical to the success
of his agency: First, it is important that skilled program staff believe
in what they are doing, have confidence in the support they get from the
agency and demonstrate, in a non-judgmental way, their respect for the veterans
they serve. Secondly, it is important that the program have an element of
homeless prevention as well as intervention by identifying and mitigating
the often complex and interrelated issues veterans face. Thirdly, the program
needs to address and educate the larger community with the goal of effecting
public policy and garnering the required resources.
The "Winning the Employment Game" program is an example of such
an innovative program. Created by VVC's Tim Hodenfield, the "game" focuses
on helping individuals, many with serious barriers to employment, achieve
results by providing a personalized career exploration and job-search program.
Approximately 90% of "Winning the Employment Game" graduates
attain jobs they want or go on to pursue higher education because of the
self-esteem and confidence they gain during the two-week program. Comprehensive
placement services are offered, including job preparation, assistance with
resumes, information resources and interview preparation. The average wage
at job placement commanded by program participants was $13.07 per hour.
This employment preparation and placement program has been so successful,
in fact, VVC has shared it with California state government agencies and
other service providers working with people facing a multitude of health
and personal challenges.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
461 |
555 |
120% |
Vocational Assessments |
620 |
750 |
121% |
Educational Assessments |
620 |
750 |
121% |
Employment Placement |
275 |
287 |
104% |
Permanent housing placement |
290 |
384 |
132% |
Average wage at job placement |
$8.25 |
$9.90 |
120% |
VWIP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
403 |
432 |
107% |
Vocational Assessments |
500 |
510 |
102% |
Educational Assessments |
500 |
510 |
102% |
Employment Placement |
283 |
315 |
111% |
Average wage at job placement |
$9.95 |
$13.03 |
131% |
In terms of building and maintaining collaborative arrangements with service
providers stretching across a vast region, few have achieved the success
of VVC. The organization founded and serves on a statewide collaborative
group, the California Association of Veterans Service Agencies (CAVSA). The
group meets regularly to share ideas and works to maximize services for veterans.
Partners who share in the successful outcomes reported by Vietnam Veterans
of California include:
- U.S. Department of Labor
- Department of Veterans Affairs VA hospitals
and clinics
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Social Security Administration
- California Employment Development Department
- California Department
of Rehabilitation
- Community Action Committees (all four VVC locations)
- Continuum of
Care Committees (all four VVC locations)
- Colleges Humboldt State,
Foothill Community College, Sacramento Community College and Sacramento
State
- Salvation Army
- Volunteers of America
- Faith Community (all four VVC locations)
- Workforce Investment Boards
- CAL Works (programs for low-income women)
- California Department of
Motor Vehicles
- County Departments of Social Services
- Municipal Drug Courts
- Sacramento Housing Alliance
- Mercy Housing Coalition
- Community Food Banks
VVC has dedicated staff members who search for and develop employment opportunities
for its veteran clients, and case managers contribute to that effort as time
permits. They also help ensure clients have the transportation assistance
they need for appointments and interviews, occasionally providing it themselves.
The commitment of staff members to the veterans enrolled in VVC programs
reflect the philosophy of the organization's leadership. Success is
rooted in knowing the local community, demonstrating respect for veterans
who need assistance, and educating the larger community on how it can help
end homelessness among America's veterans.
Not long ago, homeless veterans in Eastern Kentucky had little hope of re-entering
the workforce. In 1993, Volunteers of America of Kentucky and Tennessee (VOAKT)
decided to act on their belief that these men and women, who have served
their country with honor, deserved a helping hand to help them return to
self-sufficiency and a sense of dignity. That year the organization applied
for a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VET). They received a Homeless Veterans Reintegration
Program (HVRP) grant of $110,000, which allowed them to start a comprehensive
employment assistance program on Veterans Day 1993. Since then, the program
has provided employment to hundreds of veterans in a 17-county area in Eastern
Kentucky.
The VOAKT employment assistance program, funded by HVRP and located in Pikeville,
KY, is the only VOA program currently offered in this 1,800-square-mile area
of rural Eastern Kentucky. It is located in an area where residents face
many challenges, such as the lack of public transportation and an unemployment
rate of 15%. Finding employment in this area is difficult; and when added
to the burden of being homeless, it can seem hopeless.
The VOAKT HVRP staff has learned quite a bit over the last 11 years about
helping homeless veterans find employment. They help homeless veterans prepare
for job searches and placement, provide referrals for housing, help them
apply for supportive services, and offer limited case management.
VOAKT recognizes that people trying to become stable and independent in
their work life need to achieve stability in their home life as well. Alex
Carroll, VOAKT staff member, says that aggressive outreach is the key to
the success of the program, as veterans in the area are often isolated, lack
transportation, and do not always know what supportive services are available
or where to apply for them.
By providing housing for homeless veterans and connecting them with existing
supportive service providers, VOAKT enhances the likelihood they can succeed
in finding gainful employment. The staff constantly advocates for their clients
to ensure that services are accessible and coordinated. After 10 years of
service to the community, the VOAKT HVRP program has become the referral
resource center for a wide range of veteran assistance projects. Staff maintain
a close relationship with county social services agencies, Department of
Veterans Affairs medical facilities, Veterans Benefits Administration Regional
Offices, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, and the region's
landlords who provide veterans with housing opportunities. Most of the coordination
of local services is accomplished without formal memorandums of understanding.
The Department of Labor requires HVRP grant recipients to establish and
achieve specific goals that demonstrate program success. VOAKT reported the
following outcomes for its HVRP employment assistance program in fiscal year
2003:
VOA of KY & TN Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Participants enrolled |
72 |
68 |
94% |
Placed in housing |
72 |
68 |
94% |
Direct unsubsidized employment placements |
32 |
34 |
106% |
Combined placements in employment |
48 |
48 |
100% |
Average Hourly Wage at Placement |
$6.25 |
$9.16 |
147% |
Number Retaining Employment for 30 days |
40 |
42 |
108% |
Number Retaining Employment for 90 days |
38 |
40 |
105% |
Number Retaining Employment for 180 days |
34 |
35 |
103% |
One challenge to the completion of homeless assistance programs by veterans
cited by VOAKT in the final quarter of FY 2003 (April to June) was the attraction
of temporary work that is available during warmer months in industries like
construction. Some clients are reportedly reluctant to enter the program
while this short-term income is available. Efforts are ongoing to help potential
clients understand the value of obtaining long-term employment rather than
relying on seasonal work.
VOAKT believes that a strong focus on job retention is the key to successful
program outcomes. Clients are provided with housing and other services to
maximize their potential for success, which has led to an impressive number
of successful long-term placements. The key to their method is a focus on
assessing the specific abilities of the veteran and matching them with employers
who are interested in hiring them. VOAKT facilitates this matching process,
offering support, encouragement and referral services as needed.
VOAKT makes a daily effort to build on its network of partners, including
local nonprofit groups, landlords, government agencies and employers. This
communication helps clients overcome major barriers to employment. An example
of effective collaboration is providing transportation. Some partner employers
set up car pools for those that do not have vehicles. Constant communication
with landlords often makes placement in housing possible for homeless veterans
on the same day as their intake into the program.
VOAKT provides vital employment and supportive services to almost 70 homeless
veterans a year, and achieves a successful housing and job placement rate
of 94% at an average cost of $2,205 per individual. Without the Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program, it is doubtful homeless veterans in this
expansive, rural area would have any access to employment assistance, and
little chance of regaining their self esteem and economic independence.
The Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training (MCVET), a nonprofit
501(c)3 corporation located in Baltimore, has been helping homeless veterans
since its founding in 1993. On May 7, 1997, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) declared that MCVET was the "National Model" for
community-based organizations providing seamless, comprehensive service delivery
systems for homeless veterans.
Using a military-style social and leadership structure, and a college campus
community atmosphere, MCVET today boasts a $3 million annual budget and innovative
programs that offer more than 500 formerly homeless veterans supportive services
ranging from emergency shelter to permanent housing; from employment readiness
and job training to steady, gainful employment in high paying jobs, trades
and professions; and from substance abuse treatment to behavior modification
and self-improvement courses. Nearly four dozen specialists case
managers, clinical psychologists, housing program managers, employment specialists,
benefits counselors, facility managers provide assistance and round-the-clock
supervision for program residents. Education is such an important focus of
the MCVET program that residents are referred to as "students," and
they work toward "graduation" to self-reliance, economic independence
and community involvement.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of the value of the MCVET military academy
model is the number of former students who now provide assistance to other
homeless veterans struggling with the demons and challenges they once encountered.
They serve as examples of what is possible, and are keenly aware of the obstacles
students must overcome.
In April 1999, MCVET enhanced its employment services when it received a
grant of $70,000 from the Department of Labor Homeless Veterans Reintegration
Program (HVRP). The center's HVRP program has grown every year, and
in 2003 it was awarded $203,558, which was used to provide intensive employment
services to approximately 200 homeless veterans facing significant barriers
to employment.
The MCVET military model program stresses the principles of individual accountability,
self-discipline, organization and teamwork. Residents are organized into
platoons and squads. Students are accountable to each other, their fellow
platoon members, and the designated platoon leadership. All residents are
expected by their peers to be accountable for their actions. This order and
structure replaces the chaos they have experienced while homeless and prepares
them for reentry into the community.
The highly structured and closely monitored social order is not universally
accepted within the social services community, nor should it be. The military
academy environment, however, makes it an ideal option for individuals
who are working to regain self-esteem and self discipline, and who need strong
supervision in the beginning of their development programs. MCVET prides
itself in embracing "hard-to-place" veterans and helping them change their
lives. As Executive Director Col. Charles Williams points out, "The program
works for individuals who would almost certainly fail in other facilities,
if they were admitted in the first place."
The HVRP program has become an integral part of the continuum of services
provided by MCVET. The fundamental approach to homeless services is to provide
assistance through a continuum of incremental steps that enable students
to rejoin their communities as productive citizens. For the first three months,
homeless veterans are placed in emergency housing where case managers help
determine their needs and challenges, ensure that all benefit resources are
accessed, and help them set education and employment goals. Students who
suffer from mental illness or substance abuse issues begin receiving treatment.
This is a critical component of the enrollment process because more than
98% of homeless veterans who enter the MCVET program have addiction problems,
and more than 80% have mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD).
Most of the veterans who complete the emergency housing program will still
need supportive services and housing. These individuals are admitted to the
transitional housing program for up to two years, where substance abuse counseling
and mental health treatment continues and life skills classes are provided.
Along the way, clients are enrolled in the Education, Training and Employment
Program (ETE), where individual training needs are assessed and classes are
provided. Upon successful completion of the ETE program, students are referred
to employment services.
The Employment Services Program provides intensive job development, job
search, labor market information, assisted placement, job workshops, resume
preparation and interview skills training. HVRP funding pays for the salary
of an employment program coordinator, who provides career and employment
counseling, assessments and referrals to employers. This resource is complemented
by a DOL Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist, who conducts
pre-employment and resume training on the MCVET campus.
Most recently, HVRP funding increases have made it possible to purchase
computer equipment and training materials for on-site training programs.
Instruction is now available in skilled vocations such as heating and air
conditioning, accounting, mechanical trades, and computer systems management.
These improvements have allowed program graduates to earn, on average, almost
30% more than other veterans who did not participate in the program. MCVET
provides a wide range of employment services for its students in a centralized
location. This "one-stop" model is successful because it maximizes
the ability of residents to access all available programs without having
to travel to distant locations. It also improves communication among agency
employees working with clients at different levels of the development process.
Both factors reduce the number of students who fall through the cracks of
traditional service delivery models.
Another requirement for all HVRP programs is that they provide linkages
to other mainstream services in the communities served. This includes communicating
the availability of services that are provided by nearby agencies and organizations,
and collaborating with them to maximize the support available to program
participants. MCVET benefits from the assistance of several community partners,
including:
- Department of Veterans Affairs health care, outpatient
substance abuse, mental health services
- Department of Labor HVRP,
employment specialist training
- Department of Housing and Urban Development provides
MCVET with section-8 vouchers for permanent, subsidized housing
- Maryland
State Department of Rehabilitative Services educational
funding and assistance
- Baltimore City Office of Homeless Services refers
veterans to MCVET
- United Way/Combined Federal Campaign/Maryland Combined
Campaign
- Maryland Job Services provides a DVOP onsite at MCVET
campus
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Maryland Energy Assistance
Program
For more information about MCVET partners, see http://www.mcvet.org/sponsors.htm.
MCVET HVRP Success Measurements
for FY 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Program Enrollments |
228 |
198 |
87% |
Employment Placement |
218 |
191 |
88% |
Hourly wage @ placement |
$8.50 |
$11.86 |
140% |
Cost per placement |
$934 |
$1,272 |
136% |
As the table above shows, clients were being hired for jobs at wages that
well exceeded the goal. This was a direct result of the improved training
available to clients that year and strengthened relationships with employers
hiring for skilled positions. However, fewer clients became employed than
originally anticipated. MCVET explains that the number dropped below expectations
during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year, when the economy was weak,
unemployment was rising, and employers were not hiring. This also led to
a higher cost per placement. However, those who gained employment received,
on average, nearly $12 an hour in reliable, long-term positions, which improves
the likelihood of successful graduation to permanent housing and a higher
quality of independent living.
It the beginning of the 1990s, a group of Vietnam veterans banded together
to open a homeless shelter for fellow veterans in Worcester, MA. In 1992,
the group formed a nonprofit organization called Massachusetts Veterans Inc.
(MVI), and with assistance from the state of Massachusetts, volunteers and
labor unions, they opened a shelter in a previously condemned National Guard
armory. The shelter served as a temporary home for nine clients when it opened.
In the 11 years since, MVI has expanded to provide housing and supportive
services to more than 5,000 homeless veterans.
In 2000, MVI applied for and received an $82,425 grant from the Department
of Labor (DOL) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). This funding
allowed the organization to develop the MVI Employment and Training Division
(MVIETD) to help shelter residents prepare for and find employment.
The MVIETD employment program involves providing needed wrap-around services
that maximize client success in securing employment and achieving self-sufficiency.
Employment services that are provided include job counseling and assessment;
pre-employment services such as interview training, application and resume
completion; internet job search instruction; training; and job placement
services.
Wrap-around services that are an integral part of the program include transitional
housing, clothing, medical and substance abuse treatment referrals, and transportation
assistance.
Employment specialists provide one-on-one case management to clients. They
help clients conduct job searches, provide job coaching, schedule interviews
and ensure clients receive the transportation assistance they need to get
to interviews and job sites. Clients are encouraged to enroll in computer
training courses at the MVI Computer Academy. Courses include basic computer
literacy, an eight-week computer building and repair course, and a six-week
certification preparation class.
MVIETD has a current budget of $337,732, with $275,787 funded through the
HVRP program, and the rest coming from the City of Worcester Community Development
Block Grant, donations and fundraising. The organization has increased its
interaction with local employers to help identify employment opportunities.
The computer academy has instituted an internationally recognized certification
and testing course provided free of charge to clients. MVI also owns and
operates the Mobile Education Center, a handicapped-accessible, 32-foot recreational
vehicle equipped with 12 Dell computers. This resource is used to expand
access to computer training in several rural sites.
HVRP programs are expected to provide linkages to other mainstream services
in the communities they serve. MVI collaborates with local community-based
organizations and government agencies to improve and expand services for
its clients, including:
- United Veterans of America
- Veterans Transition House
- Massachusetts Veterans Outreach Center
- Veterans outreach centers in
Marlboro and Pittsfield
- The Puerto Rican Veterans' Association
of Massachusetts
- Transitional housing programs across the state
- Government agencies,
including VA hospitals and clinics
- The American Legion, Disabled American
Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars
- One-stop work centers throughout
the state
The Department of Labor traditionally approves HVRP programs that include
innovative practices that can be replicated in other parts of the country.
According to Allison Alaimo, MVI Employment and Training Manager, the Employment
and Training Division is innovative in its approach to the care and rehabilitation
of homeless veterans because of its focus on employment as the means to end
homelessness. The goals established within each employment plan are individualized
and attainable because they are based on a comprehensive understanding of
the needs and skills of each client. The program also includes job retention
efforts to ensure that those who find employment and housing have the resources
they need to avoid returning to the street.
Massachusetts
Veterans Inc. HVRP 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Assessments |
772 |
761 |
99% |
Enrollments |
500 |
538 |
108% |
Placed in Perm Housing |
183 |
178 |
97% |
Pre-Employment Services |
261 |
463 |
177% |
Occupational Skills Training |
130 |
192 |
148% |
Employment Placement |
157 |
182 |
116% |
Combined Placements (Emp.) |
244 |
254 |
104% |
Retained Employment 90 days |
193 |
139 |
72% |
Retained Employment 180 Days |
163 |
96 |
59% |
Average Hourly Wage |
$9.25 |
$9.79 |
106% |
In order to determine the level of success each HVRP program achieves, DOL
assesses outcomes that are compared to goals outlined in each organization's
application. Grant recipients must file quarterly reports with the department.
Massachusetts Veterans Inc. exceeded most of its program goals by large margins.
According to the above measurements, the MVI program has earned high marks
in enrollments, pre-employment services, occupational skills training, direct
employment placement and hourly wages. The program had room to improve in
employment retention and assisted placement. All other areas were within
5% of program goals.
The combination of services, collaboration with the community, and the extensive
outreach efforts provided by MVI constitute an effective, model program that
other
homeless veteran employment programs can implement. The program provides
modern, useful computer training that gives homeless veterans skills that
may not be possessed by other job applicants, and the mobile education center
takes the training where clients need it. This innovative approach to employment
training and outreach has earned MVIETD recognition as a national HVRP best
practice.
Located in Boston, MA, Veterans Benefit Clearinghouse Inc. (VBC) began its
veteran assistance program in 1992. Formed to focus on the homeless veteran,
the organization was originally called Vets Path, but the name was later
changed to reflect the expansion of its services to meet an ever-increasing
need for public assistance programs to help the poor and otherwise underserved
communities in a large metropolitan area. The organization as a whole operates
with a total budget of $1.2 million annually.
The VBC Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) receives funding
from several sources, including the Department of Veterans Affairs Grant
and Per Diem program, the State of Massachusetts Department of Veteran Services,
a Community Block Grant from the City of Boston, and private foundations
and individuals. VBC will spend $331,684 on its employment services programs
in FY 2004. For the first three years of HVRP funding, VBC received $100,000
per year, and did not receive a grant in 1996. From 1998-1999, the VBC HVRP
program was funded at $150,000; in 2000, VBC was awarded $300,000; and since
then the program has received $250,000 per year.
The VBC program specifically targets the homeless veteran population in
the Boston area. Participant demographics are: 85% African American, 10%
Caucasian, and 5% Hispanic; 15% are women, and 85% are men. The overall population
is about 50% veterans, and the other half are family members and dependents
of veterans.
Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse feels that it is necessary to provide a
wide range of services to its clients. Services available to HVRP program
participants include case management and counseling, employment training
and placement, pre-vocational training, emergency services food pantry,
rental assistance, utilities assistance, housing (SRO) and housing placement
(section 8) and health education. These services cover the entire
continuum of care, and enables homeless veterans to return to society as
productive, independent citizens at a much quicker rate
When VBC first received HVRP funding, it was basically a homeless program
aimed at providing shelter. Since then the organization has been able to
focus on employment readiness services and job placement. VBC has added additional
services such as computer training and emergency supportive services to its
assistance programs. With the increasing value of technology in the workplace,
VBC feels that computer skills are vital to its clients' success in
searching for and gaining employment. By working with and maintaining in
communication with area employers, staff have discovered where the region's
manpower shortages are, and VBC has been able to prepare its clients for
those targeted employment opportunities.
In addition to providing employment counseling, job readiness courses, job
referrals and placement services, VBC provides employment-specific training
for program participants. A unique aspect of VBC's program is its internal
employment training programs specializing in the medical and computer technology
fields. Allied Health Training prepares people to become medical assistants,
phlebotomists, laboratory
assistants and medical receptionists. Graduates who complete this short-term
classroom and hands-on training program are given assistance to find jobs
paying up to $15.00 per hour. The Computer Training Laboratory provides residents
of Greater Roxbury with affordable computer training and access to the type
of computers they need to master to successfully compete for office and communications
jobs. Both programs include pre-vocational skills training to prepare homeless
veterans for their successful return to the work place.
One of the organization's great successes is its collaboration with
more than 100 government agencies and community-based service providers.
These partners help to provide employment services, assistance in applying
for and obtaining veteran benefits, substance abuse treatment and counseling
services, medical and mental health services, emergency and transitional
housing, halfway houses, and HIV and AIDS resources. This collaboration has
resulted in an increase in the number of veterans who receive assistance
because of the cooperation among agencies providing specialized services.
Although VBC does not maintain formal memorandums of understanding (MOUs)
with many of its collaborative agencies, its strategy is to belong to many
of the state's collaborative service provider groups. These include
the Human Service Providers, Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance,
Boston Workforce Development Collaborative, Timothy Smith Network, and the
Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, to mention a few. VBC staff serve
on the boards of directors of all those coalitions. Working relationships
are maintained through monthly meetings. This network of service providers
is the link to the success of the VBC program, promoting the reputation and
visibility of its services and success within the service provider community.
The foundation of VBC's employment services program is effective case
management. Staff are experienced working with veterans who have experienced
long-term homelessness and frequent substance abuse. Many of the program
clients are struggling with one or more serious barriers to re-entering the
workforce.
VBC's Counseling, Information and Referral Services links individuals
and families in crisis to VBC programs and other needed services. Staff provide
individual and group counseling designed to help veterans find employment,
housing programs, resolve personal and family crises, and deal with other
stress issues they may face.
Specialty counseling is also provided to help veterans work through Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and emotional problems. This
one-on-one focus allows the case manager to get to know the client and better
understand what support he or she may need. A relationship of trust develops
gradually, which results in an individual plan that enhances the veteran's
prospects for gainful employment.
During the last year of HVRP funding, the VOC program was within 15% of
all its goals, exceeding the target in several categories. The average range
was 92-108%. During the immediate future, VBC hopes to expand its programs
to help a larger percentage of the area's increasing homeless veteran
population.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
233 |
240 |
103% |
Vocational Assessments |
160 |
160 |
100% |
Employment Placement |
67 |
62 |
93% |
Permanent housing placement |
50 |
65 |
130% |
Average wage at job placement |
$8.25 |
$8.25 |
100% |
Considering the challenges its homeless veteran clients must overcome
for successful re-entry into the work place many are dealing with
several and the heavy caseload the organization tries to help,
the outcomes of the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse are commendable. The
success of the VBC program depends on highly skilled and dedicated staff
connecting homeless veterans to the benefits and services provided by an
extensive care provider network. The employment assistance program is regarded
as the critical component of the VBC continuum of care model.
Perhaps just as important is VBC's work to strengthen that network
and its continuing efforts to advocate for the integration of available services
into a system that provides comprehensive assistance to all of the city's
homeless individuals and families.
In 2000, the Michigan Veterans Foundation applied to the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS) for a Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
(HVRP) grant to develop an employment assistance program for homeless veterans
in the Detroit area. MVF was awarded a grant of $246,050 and opened the Detroit
Veterans Center-Project Charge (also known as HVRP-Detroit) in May. The program,
now funded at $249,890, has received HVRP funding every year since, and continues
to provide targeted services tailored specifically to the needs of homeless
veterans.
Clients of HVRP-Detroit are offered a wide variety of services, which are
coordinated according to the needs of each individual. Each veteran receives
an employability assessment when beginning the program. Individual development
plans are developed and take into account such factors as physical and mental
condition, sobriety, employment history, education and training, interest
and skills, and personal needs such as proper identification and clothing.
Program participants are given life skills training and in-house employability
training (Vision Quest). Classes combine basic job seeking etiquette with
discussions about challenges to obtaining employment, interview skills, and
staying sober while seeking employment and after being hired.
Veterans are entered in a vocational counseling program that begins the
job placement process. This is accompanied by training in resume development
and practice in mock interviews that will maximize client success during
the recruitment process. Transportation assistance is available to help ensure
that clients maintain attendance stability and opens up job opportunities
in a larger area.
Depending on the individual development plan, veterans may receive financial
assistance to cover the costs associated with obtaining vital records and
photo identification cards, police clearances, uniforms or suitable work
clothing, training fees, tools and relief from other financial obstacles
to employment. This kind of support is rare and requires a significant collaboration
among community-based organizations, government agencies and the business
community.
Other services include:
- Outreach (actively seeking to enroll veterans who frequent other
organizations that are not in the immediate vicinity of the DVC).
- On-site workshops provided by guest employers and social service providers
- Referral to educational or job training programs
- Relapse prevention
services (in-house or referrals).
- Letters of recommendation, status
or advocacy.
HVRP-Detroit has grown significantly since May 2000 in size and range of
services that are available. It has increased from one room with a phone
and a computer to a four-office complex that includes a bank of computers
that serves as a job search lab. The program staff now includes a co-located
veterans representative from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic
growth, who officially registers clients as job-seekers in the state employment
services system. This improves the likelihood of success by widening the
scope of job searches and increasing the number of employment opportunity
leads.
Additional space and resources have led to several other positive changes,
including improvements in:
- Accessibility to HVRP Staff
- Frequency and quality of classes and workshops.
- Communication between
clients and potential employers.
- Self-esteem of both HVRP staff and
veteran clients.
- Storage space for interview clothing and hygiene
supplies.
- Professional atmosphere.
- Online employment application assistance.
- Classroom and study space
with on-site library.
One of the requirements for all HVRP programs is that they provide linkages
to other mainstream services in the communities they serve. HVRP-Detroit
has diligently worked to establish an extensive, collaborative network of
resources to surround its clients with all possible services. Partners include:
Government agencies:
- Michigan Employment Commission (official registration for job
seekers, job leads, online resumes),
- VA Medical Center, Detroit (outpatient
substance abuse treatment, anger management counseling, all healthcare
needs),
- VA Vet Centers,
- The twelve chartered veteran service organizations
- VA Healthcare for
Homeless Veterans
- Michigan Veterans Trust Fund
- Michigan Rehabilitation Services Wayne
County Legal Services
- Wayne County Family Agency
Job skill and training programs:
- Wayne State University's Veterans Educational Opportunities
Program (remedial education, computer applications training, educational
counseling);
- Goodwill Industries (employment training for disabled
clients),
Shelters:
- Salvation Army
- Detroit Rescue Mission
Collaborations serving the homeless:
- Committee On Temporary Shelter
- Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness,
- Homeless Action Network,
- AIDS Partnership of Michigan,
- Collaborative on Offender Training and
Employment (COTE) (serving clients on parole or probation with pre-employment
training, resume assistance, clothing, bus tickets, and supervised
job searches),
- Military Order of the Purple Heart,
Medical, addiction and disability providers:
- Cass Methodist Hospital,
- Alcoholics Anonymous,
- Narcotics Anonymous,
- Mariners Inn Sobriety House,
- Blue Water Center for Independent Living
(independent living education and supportive services, and advocacy
for clients with disabilities),
Other Non-profit organizations:
- Forgotten Harvest,
- Neighborhood Services Organization,
- Operation Get Down,
- Operation Helping Hand,
- Traveler's Aid Society,
- Society of St. Vincent DePaul (furniture,
clothing),
- Jewish Vocational Services (job leads, bus tickets, eyeglasses,
dentures, janitorial training, time-limited computer lab, resume assistance,
relapse prevention).
The HVRP-Detroit program has demonstrated a high level of success in connecting
homeless veterans with the services and training they need in order to find
and retain employment, housing, and stability. Almost every performance goal
outlined in the MVF grant proposal has been met or exceeded.
The key to the success of HVRP-Detroit, according to Tobi Geibig, Executive
Director of MVF, is "facilitating an understanding of the special problems
and needs of veterans to other social service and government agencies through
active collaboration." That extensive partnership allows homeless veterans
to benefit from the broadest possible spectrum of supportive services. They
are also assured of basic necessities, such as housing, food, counseling
and heath care.
Active collaboration by HVRP-Detroit has led to some very impressive achievements,
including::
- Incorporation into the Michigan Veterans Foundation / Detroit
Veterans Center, allowing our clients immediate access to shelter, food,
clothing, and counseling.
- Co-location of a Department of Labor & Economic
Growth, Employment Service Agency employee on-site (as mentioned earlier)
- Expedited employment consideration for our clients with private employers
including Compuware, MGM Grand (Detroit), Sams' Club, Express Personnel
Services, Labor Ready Inc., Securitas, Fishbones Restaurants Inc., Goodwill
Industries, and a host of smaller corporations and companies. Most of
these employers provide on-the -job training
- Onsite establishment of a
Blue Water/Wayne County Center for Independent Living Satellite Office,
serving our clients with independent living skills classes and access
to a variety of social and economic services.
- Collaboration with local
shelters in identifying homeless Veterans in order to keep Veterans
informed of our available services.
HVRP-Detroit leadership hopes in the future to develop a "one-stop
shop" of co-located homeless service providers offering a full range
of employment, educational, social and medical services for clients. While
this is an ambitious goal, with the innovative and replicable program developed
by the Michigan Veterans Foundation, it may just be possible.
HVRP Program Outcomes FY 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Assessments |
400 |
452 |
113% |
Total Agency Enrollments |
250 |
272 |
109% |
Vocational Counseling |
250 |
272 |
109% |
Housing Placement |
210 |
242 |
115% |
Employment Placement |
140 |
171 |
122% |
Average hourly wage @ placement |
$8.50 |
$8.25 |
97% |
Retained employment 90 days |
100 |
119 |
119% |
Retained employment 180 days |
70 |
74 |
106% |
Pre-employment services |
140 |
272 |
194% |
Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), located in Minneapolis,
has been helping veterans for over 12 years, serving over 2,400 veterans
during that time with a wide range of housing and outreach services in a
seven-county area. MACV, determined to increase the level of employment and
housing services provided to homeless veterans in the Minneapolis/St. Paul
area, was awarded a Department of Labor Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
(HVRP) grant in March 2000. Funding for the organization's employment
assistance program has been renewed every year since. With a 2003-2004 HVRP
budget of $300,000, MACV continues its efforts to move homeless veterans
away from the street and into employment and stable housing.
MACV has used its HVRP grant to expand its reach into the metropolitan twin
cities area, funding the salary of four case managers and one metro regional
director. One case manager, stationed at the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) Medical Center with Veterans Industries, completes the initial interviews,
places the veteran in the work station and maintains contact with the VA
clinical case managers as well as the job supervisor as part of the Employee
Development Plan (EDP). The goal of the EDP is to prepare the veteran to
enter the work force.
The HVRP Housing case manager interviews veterans to determine the appropriate
housing setting for their needs. Once veterans are placed, they begin the
process for movement from transitional to permanent housing. The housing
plan is also part of the EDP.
The other two HVRP case managers work with local Department of Labor Disabled
Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists and Local Veteran Employment
Representatives (LVER) to provide outreach focusing on recovery and the removable
of barriers to employment and housing. Some of the areas of concern include
focusing on sober living, money management and debt reduction
The HVRP Metro Regional Director is responsible for all program integration
in the seven-county metro area. The director makes sure that case management
services, of which HVRP is the main recipient, are integrated with well maintained
and available housing stock, which MACV owns or leases. The director makes
sure that that support services are provided by leveraging other funding
sources. He also coordinates health care services for the veterans through
VA.
Another requirement for all HVRP programs is that they provide linkages
to other mainstream services in the communities served. This includes communicating
the availability of the different services being provided, and collaborating
with other organizations to maximize services for program clients. MACV works
closely with:
- Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
- Minneapolis VA Medical Center
- Vets Center
- County veterans service officers
- Local workforce centers
- Local nonprofit organizations
By placing a case manager at the VA to work with homeless veteran clients,
MACV is able to ensure that all necessary services and benefits are applied
for and received. Case managers also work with VISN 23 veterans health care
workers to ensure that clients are able to get to their appointments at the
Minneapolis VA Medical Center. MACV works closely with the region's
county veterans service officers, who provide eligible veterans and their
dependents assistance with applications and claims for both federal and state
veterans' benefits through agencies including the VA, Social Security
Administration, Railroad Retirement Board, and Minnesota Department of Veterans
Affairs. This network of support helps to ensure that homeless veterans will
make it through the process of applying for benefits, gaining employment
and, through MACV properties and state housing funding, securing long-term
residences that help to stabilize formerly homeless veterans as they return
to the workforce.
MACV administers a sober program that requires clients to abstain from using
alcohol and drugs according to practices based on the Alcoholics Anonymous
and Narcotics Anonymous traditions. It believes in a comprehensive, holistic
approach to recovery from the complex challenges of homelessness. The success
of this comprehensive program depends on working closely with other organizations
to provide a full continuum of care.
MACV also provides a legal assistance service, funded through a DOL Veterans
Employment and Training Service (VETS) grant, which helps veterans overcome
barriers to employment and housing caused by legal problems. This is an example
of MACV using an existing program to maximize its HVRP success.
The Department of Labor requires grant recipients to set program goals and
to meet or exceed those during the program year. MACV had the following outcomes
in FY 2003 (July 2002 to June 2003).
HVRP Program Outcomes FY 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Agency Assessments |
190 |
421 |
222% |
Total Program Enrollments |
182 |
349 |
192% |
Housing Placements |
190 |
383 |
202% |
Direct Employment Placements |
70 |
24 |
34% |
Assisted Employment Placements |
30 |
94 |
313% |
Combined Employment Placements |
100 |
118 |
118% |
Retained Employment 90 days |
32 |
56 |
175% |
Average hourly wage @ placement |
$10.37 |
$10.58 |
102% |
The MACV program has met or exceeded eight of 10 success measurements during
the last fiscal year. While the program faced challenges keeping employees
in jobs over 30 days, those they were able to place maintained employment
at a highly successful rate.
Those who found employment were paid approximately $10.58 an hour, more
than twice the minimum wage. This rate of pay makes it more likely that self-sufficiency
will be attained.
MACV provides convenient, accessible assistance to homeless veterans where
they are. It integrates its HVRP services with effective, already existing
programs and collaborates with other organizations serving veterans to maximize
successful outcomes. These successful outcomes are clearly illustrated with
detailed measurement. MACV is an excellent, replicable example of how a caring,
effective organization that understands its clients and the local service
system can take the lead in developing a comprehensive approach to ending
homelessness and helping veterans achieve self-sufficiency.
Established in April 1979, Black Veterans for Social Justice Inc. (BVSJ)
is a nonprofit, community-based organization in Brooklyn, NY, that has served
men and women veterans, their families and members of the community for 23
years. BVSJ served an estimated 10,000 clients during 2002 with an annual
budget of $10 million. Several programs aimed at helping homeless veterans
operate under the direction of the organization, other services are provided
through memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with local community-based organizations
and government agencies.
The BVSJ Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) focuses on providing
employment services to homeless and previously homeless veterans. The program
also provides guidance on filing claims for benefits, substance abuse treatment
programs, and workshops pertaining to job search techniques and overcoming
barriers to employment.
Black Veterans for Social Justice strives to serve not only homeless veterans,
but their families and their communities. The founders believe that despite
the hardships individuals may encounter during military service and from
society at large, most people and particularly veterans want
to do the right thing and will respond positively and productively if given
a helping hand.
BVSJ is committed to helping newly released veterans make a smooth transition
from active duty to civilian life. The staff provides support to military
personnel, veterans and families dealing with issues that include social
readjustment, finding housing and employment, applying for disability compensation,
access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, medical services,
family intervention, prison counseling and reentry into the community, and
legal advocacy.
Since 1999, the organization's HVRP program has come along way from
its one-room office and single phone line and computer. All this changed
with the creation of the new Veterans Resource Center, funded in part by
the HVRP grant. Each staff member now has a fully equipped office, and the
department has its own fax machine, copier and email address. A professionally
printed brochure details the center's employment assistance program,
and available services are listed on the BVSJ website. These additional resources
have allowed the organization to increase the quality and quantity of services
provided to homeless veterans in the New York City area. BVSJ has been receiving
funding since 1999, and received $250,000 for its HVRP program from 2002
to 2004.
The success of the HVRP program is the in-depth assessment that is done
on each of the clients who request assistance. The staff prides itself on
the accuracy and thoroughness of each assessment. By evaluating the client's
specific needs, a comprehensive and holistic plan can be created to address
them.
The assessment consists of a face-to-face interview with a staff member,
and answering 70 detailed questions. Some of the focus areas included
in the assessment are social history, educational and vocational training,
employment history, military history, housing history, financial history,
medical history, psychiatric history, family status, substance abuse,
history of high-risk behavior and criminal activity. Once the information
is obtained, the staff is able to determine the client's strengths, skills,
interests, barriers to employment, and need for various supportive services.
Then the client and staff develop an action plan that should result in steady,
gainful employment and permanent housing.
BVSJ believes its success depends on how well staff members work with their
clients. Service providers must fully understand the strengths and weaknesses
of each client in order to create an action plan that identifies realistic
goals and makes success possible. With this approach, they are able to restore
hope in their clients, making them believe they can overcome the challenges
they face.
Specific services provided by Black Veterans for Social Justice include:
- Comprehensive assessment
- In-house employment workshops and job readiness
training
- Transportation assistance
- Job search assistance and referrals
- Resume preparation
- In-house General Equivalency Diploma (GED) program.
- In-house workshops
facilitated by other social service providers and community-based organizations
- Food pantry program
- Referrals to substance abuse programs (outpatient
and impatient services), legal services, vocational programs, clothing
distribution centers, Medicare and Medicaid benefits and job training
programs.
- Permanent and transitional housing
- Support groups for PTSD and stress
management
- Assistance with military discharge upgrades, and VA claims
for compensation, pensions and other benefits.
- Hospital visits and
other outreach activities
- On-site intensive and supportive case management.
In order to broaden the services available to its clients, BVSJ collaborates
with other local nonprofits, government agencies, foundations and civic organizations.
The collaborations are established and maintained through site visits, emails,
daily telephone contacts, open house meetings, and memorandums of understanding.
In order to better serve clients, many of these collaborators have negotiated
preferences for their veteran clients and have outlined a specific referral
system for homeless veteran clients to access their services. Black Veterans
for Social Justice works in partnership with the following agencies to provide
a broad spectrum of services to its clients:
- NY Harbor Healthcare System, including the VA Hospitals in Brooklyn,
Manhattan and Queens.
- The Bronx VA Medical Center
- The Harlem Vet Center
- New York State Department of Labor
- TEC/Brooklyn Training and Employment
Council of Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Workforce Innovations
- Vocational and Educational Services
for Individuals with Disabilities
- Goodwill Industries of Greater New
York
- Burns/Securities Security
- Department of Consumer Affairs
- Salvation Army Veterans Shelter
- Montrose VA Medical Center (Residential
Substance Abuse Treatment Center)
- Help-Bronx Employment Center
- The Osborne Society
- Fortune Society
- South Forty Employment and Training Services
- Center for Employment
Opportunities
- The Doe Fund Inc. (Ready, Willing and Able)
- St Vincent's Services
By collaborating with these organizations, BVSJ is able to provide access
to resources their clients need. One of the main benefits of these collaborations
is increasing the employment and training opportunities available to clients.
They are able to receive training in the areas of security, cable installation,
obtaining a commercial drivers license and computer skills, and then use
the connections the HVRP program has developed to find steady employment
utilizing their new skills.
Through its agreements with various employers in New York, BVSJ can virtually
assure its program participants that they will earn their way into jobs with
the potential for livable wages and advancement. The program goal is self-sufficiency
and restored self esteem. This arrangement offers benefits for Black Veterans
for Social Justice, area employers and formerly homeless veterans. The collaboration
remains strong, and clients are able to advance in their programs knowing
they will be able to use the skills they have acquired for the job.
HVRP Program Outcomes FY 2002
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
250 |
246 |
98% |
Total Agency Assessments |
450 |
430 |
96% |
Employment Placement |
225 |
189 |
84% |
Permanent housing placement |
72 |
58 |
81% |
During the FY 2003 grant year, Black Veterans for Social Justice enrolled
568 veterans in their program and they were able to find 151 clients housing.
The average wage at job placements was $8.75 an hour. The organization performs
follow-up counseling with its clients on both a 90 and 180 day schedule.
For many years, The Salvation Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs through
the Canandaigua VA Medical Center and the VA Rochester Outplacement Clinic have
worked with several public and private agencies to coordinate a continuum
of care with supportive services tailored for homeless veterans. Under a
program called Project ReDirect, homeless veterans in central New York are
provided with the vital services they need to regain their place in society
as productive citizens, including employment preparation and job placement
assistance.
The program began in October 1997, and $142,385 in funding through the Department
of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) greatly enhanced the organization's
program success in July 2001. In July 2003, a second grant of $163, 437 was
awarded by DOL-VETS.
The HVRP program has helped opened the door to a host of collaboration opportunities
with a broad range of public and private health and human service providers,
and has resulted in increased funding for the organization's homeless
assistance programs. For example, the Salvation Army obtained Department
of Labor Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) funding in 2002 for
a job training and employment program to help veterans transition from incarceration,
and now provides routine outreach to veterans at the Monroe County Jail and
a New York state prison. Staff say HVRP funding was instrumental in the creation
of seven additional transitional housing beds in 2003, and helped in the
Salvation Army's bid to purchase two new vans through the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program.
The Salvation Army HVRP program provides outreach, pre-enrollment services,
client assessments, employment development training, core training activities,
job placement assistance, follow-up counseling and ongoing supportive services
to all homeless people. In addition, the HVRP program provides the following
support to its homeless veteran clients:
- A three-month, intensive employment preparation training (EPT)
program in a classroom setting, which reorients participants to the
workforce by developing and refining general readiness skills. The multi-discipline,
long-term training gives the veteran the opportunity to address in-depth
personal barriers to successful employment. The program helps the veteran
develop critical skills such as punctuality, dependability, dressing
appropriately, leaving personal problems at home, willingness to take
direction and getting along with co-workers.
- Comprehensive, continuous
supportive services which are critical in helping homeless veterans
enter the workforce, maintain employment, and forge stability in their
lives. The extensive network of the Salvation Army, the VA and other
community agencies offers services to support the whole person emotionally, physically and economically. The "wraparound" supportive
services provide veterans with free daily lunches at the Salvation Army's
cafeteria, free work clothing, and essential items like calculators, dictionaries
and alarm clocks. Other available services include rent and mortgage assistance,
other housing programs, health services and substance abuse counseling.
- Other employment-related services include money for clothing, business
attire, medical and dental assistance, transportation, fees for licensing
tests, driver's license, personal hygiene items, laundry supplies and
haircuts.
The HVRP program has been able to expand available services through collaboration
with several public and private health and human services providers, including:
- VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York (VISN2)
- New York State Department
of Labor
- New York State Division of Veterans Affairs
- Rochester Works! One Stop
Career Center
- Veterans Outreach Center
- Unity Health Systems.
Several factors contribute to the overall success of the Salvation Army
HVRP program. The connection to the national organization's large infrastructure
and ability to leverage community resources has allowed it to improve and
expand its programs. Homeless veterans enrolled in the program can take advantage
of job training and employment placement services, and a wide variety of
other free services offered onsite at the Salvation Army's downtown
Rochester campus. These services include food, clothing, prescription assistance,
emergency and transitional shelter in one of four homeless adult residences,
medical and mental health services at a Unity Health System clinic, GED preparation
and self-directed classes, software assisted Adult Basic Education courses,
and tutoring.
Through the companion program Project ReDirect, the Salvation Army is able
to provide long-term follow-up and supportive case management to HVRP participants
for up to four years. Since the Salvation Army is a faith-based organization,
clients are able to participate in a worship community if they wish, and
receive regular spiritual counseling.
During last year, the HVRP program exceeded its targeted goals despite the
poor economy. Clients were able to obtain employment in diverse job areas
due to the coordination of numerous community partners.
The Salvation Army feels that the benefits derived from close collaboration
with many organizations representing diverse disciplines and strengths cannot
be overemphasized. The HVRP program is considered a "one-stop-shop" for
veteran support services. Within the Salvation Army's downtown facility,
HVRP clients are offered a safe haven at the Booth Haven Men's and
Hope House Women's shelters. Each veteran is assigned a case manager
who works with a team of stakeholders to help veterans find stability through
securing permanent, and in many cases, subsidized housing.
Veterans benefit from the services of a mental/chemical dependency counselor
who is on staff and available any time the need arises. In addition, all
veterans are assigned a case manager/outreach worker who is also a veteran.
Various support groups are available for residents, one of which is a veteran
support group co-facilitated by a veteran peer. Clients are assigned to a
job developer who helps them secure employment.
The program helps veterans retain employment with follow-up support for
a minimum of 180 days after their placement. The HVRP program offers support
services to participants for up to four years, allowing them to re-enroll
in the HVRP program if they experience difficulties once they have entered
the workforce. If a veteran needs services the Salvation Army does not offer,
he or she is referred to an outreach center or other community-based organization
for those services.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Program Enrollments |
80 |
108 |
135% |
Vocational Assessments |
80 |
95 |
119% |
Educational Assessments |
12 |
15 |
125% |
Employment Placement |
70 |
70 |
100% |
Permanent housing placement |
48 |
67 |
140% |
Average wage at job placement |
$7.70 |
$8.11 |
105% |
The Salvation Army Rochester Area Services provides a holistic approach
to serving homeless Veterans in the Rochester Area through an expansive
collaborative network. Veterans are able to get the services they need
free of charge and begin their progress toward a new life.
Several years ago, the Saratoga County Rural Preservation Company (SCRPC)
of Ballston Spa, NY, determined that homeless veterans in the central New
York area faced unique challenges when trying to gain employment. To address
the problem, SCRPC applied to the Department of Labor (DOL) for funding under
the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program in 2000. SCRPC was awarded $115,000
and began its work in September of that year. The program has been renewed
for the same amount each year since.
HVRP is dedicated to helping homeless veterans who are frequently unable
to access traditional employment services obtain the vital assistance they
need to re-enter the workforce. These individuals frequently face special
challenges such as legal issues, mental and physical health challenges and
drug addiction. The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) is funded
under the U.S. Department of Labor-Veterans Employment and Training Service
(DOL-VETS), in compliance with the requirements of 38 United States Code,
Section 2021, as added by Section 5 of Public Law 107-95, the Homeless Veterans
Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001. Section 2021 requires the Secretary
of Labor to conduct, directly or through grant or contract, such programs
as the Secretary determines appropriate to expedite the reintegration of
homeless veterans into the labor force. HVRP is the only national program
that specifically targets homeless veterans. While some HVRP programs have
been in existence for several years, providers must reapply as a first-year
program every three years, and must request renewal in the other two.
The SCRPC employment assistance program offers services for all veterans
who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, have been honorably discharged
from the military, and who have been free of alcohol or drug abuse for at
least 30 days. The program covers several counties in the state of New York,
including Saratoga, Washington, Warren, Albany, Schenectady and Essex.
Each SCRPC client receives a wide range of services, including:
- A complete in-take interview to determine enrollment eligibility
- A needs
evaluation that includes clothing, food, medical attention and housing
- A consulting session involving the job market conditions, "selling
oneself," dealing with liabilities, cover letter development and conducting
a job search campaign
- Database Information Management System that facilitates
rapid responses to client needs
- Job leads
- Job search follow-up and evaluation, along with continued
assistance needs
Veterans served by the program are asked to stay in touch with SCRPC to
provide on-going information about their well-being and progress.
The program has experienced continued growth during the last four years.
The SCRPC program has been very successful, with approximately 80 percent
of its program clients fully completing their work campaigns and moving on
to experience substantial personal and professional growth.
One major requirement for all HVRP programs is that they provide linkages
to other mainstream services in the communities they serve. This includes
communicating the availability of services being provided and collaborating
with other organizations to maximize the assistance received by the client.
SCRPC staff members have increased community awareness efforts and have increased
agency participation in community activities. SCRPC works in collaboration
with several entities to ensure client success, including:
- New York State Department of Labor
- New York State Division of Veterans
Affairs
- Saratoga County Employment and Training
- Saratoga, Warren and Washington
County Veterans Service Agencies
- Shelter of Saratoga (SOS)
- Vet House of Glens Falls
- EOC Saratoga
- Seven area food banks and soup kitchens
- New York State Probation Department
SCRPC, through these community connections, has integrated several services
into a "one-stop shop" approach. Clients are able to maximize
their success by accessing the full continuum of local services in one location.
This innovative service approach is unusual in rural and suburban areas,
where residents in need typically encounter limited services spread out over
a wide area coupled, transportation difficulties and a lack of holistic case
management. Clients in these areas frequently do not successfully access
or even know about all of the services for which they are eligible. In contrast
to that service model, SCPRC offers, in addition to the HVRP program, the
following services in one convenient location:
- Transitional housing for homeless veterans
- Permanent housing for veterans
and their families
- Permanent housing for chronically ill veterans and
their families
- 364 units of Section 8 housing
- An affordable home mortgage program
- A food pantry
- A Department of Labor employment assistance program
As the HVRP program grew, an increased amount of time was being spent on
administrative functions. This began to limit the time available to serve
clients and to coordinate services with Department of Labor Disabled Veterans' Outreach
Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans' Employment Representative (LVER)
specialists. This challenge led to the development of an innovative computerized
reporting system that helps SCPRC maintain the necessary administrative controls
to satisfy reporting obligations while freeing workers to attend to client
needs.
The system allows the department to produce accurate monthly, quarterly
and annual reports on time and within acceptable guidelines. Instructions
and calculations were built into the system to ensure reporting accuracy.
It produces reports on standard information such as assessments, enrollments,
placement and employment activities. It also ensures accountability to the
clients by providing alerts needed to ensure completion of 30, 90 and 180-day
follow-up requirements.
The information management system program was written by SCRPC employment
specialist Art Clark, who will make it available to other grantees. He said
he will perform any program customizing required by the receiving organization,
and it can be modified for incorporation into most data systems.
The Department of Labor requires grant recipients to set and meet measurements
of success. SCRPC had the following outcomes:
SCRP HVRP Program Outcomes July 2003
February 2004
|
Measure |
|
|
|
Total Assessments |
56 |
66 |
117% |
Total Enrollments |
41 |
44 |
107% |
Employment Placements |
26 |
28 |
108% |
Employment Placement Rate |
63% |
64% |
101% |
Since 2000 SCRPC has provided vital employment services to homeless veterans.
It has developed a modernized reporting system that maximizes service delivery
and minimizes time filling out paperwork It has also successfully led collaboration
and outreach efforts among local human service providers to create and expand
a holistic, one-stop service in a non-urban environment. All of these innovative
efforts could be replicated in other non-rural areas, which makes the Saratoga
County Rural Preservation Council a HVRP national best practice.
The Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) in Rochester, NY, is the nation's
oldest community-based outreach and advocacy center for veterans and their
family members. The center has served more than 29,000 veteran clients in
upstate New York since opening in 1973. VOC offers transitional housing,
mental health services, educational and vocational training programs, and
other supportive services for veterans and their families, and provides referrals
to community resources for substance abuse treatment, domestic violence issues,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), parenting skills and other personal
development and empowerment programs.
VOC occupies six buildings on two campuses in Rochester, a city in Monroe
County. The population of the city and county is nearly one million people.
The center is strategically located within walking distance of the downtown
area, and within blocks of 10 nonprofit community-based service providers
that work in partnership to serve the homeless veterans of the city of Rochester
and Monroe, Livingston, Orleans, Wayne and Ontario counties. It is estimated
more than 5,900 unemployed veterans many of them homeless live
in the region served by the center.
Throughout its history, VOC has recognized the need for employment services
and job placement assistance to ensure homeless veterans can successfully
re-enter society as productive, self-supporting citizens. In April 2000,
VOC received its first Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) grant
from the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service
(DOL-VETS). That $134,996 grant allowed VOC to further develop its employment
assistance program particularly its supportive services for veterans
with significant barriers to employment and immediately build a regional
network of public and private service providers to provide employment opportunities
for its homeless veteran clients.
The core of the VOC program is its outreach and case management initiatives.
Three outreach specialists work days and evening to identify homeless veterans
who need help. An initial list of more than 75 locations is used to identify
sites to be visited on a regular, weekly basis, including homeless shelters,
transitional housing programs, VA medical facilities, church programs, county
social service agencies, soup kitchens and places where homeless people are
known to gather.
The outreach program also embraces organizations and agencies that can help
VOC in its work: The Salvation Army, Volunteers of America, Catholic Family
center, Family Services of Rochester, St. Joseph's House and St. Francis
Center, among others. These organizations become accustomed to the routine
visits and information sharing, and benefit from the VOC outreach emergency
cell phone number to refer homeless and at-risk veterans to the HVRP program
at any time, round the clock. According to DOL officials, VOC's evening
service hours devoted to outreach, case management, training and employment
assistance is rare.
Social workers stationed at the VOC are an integral part of this initiative.
They include representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
who can provide immediate help with applications for benefits. According
to senior staff, the success of the HVRP program "from the beginning had
much to do with the system set up in the first two weeks of the program to
identify target populations, programs and agencies; develop a rotating schedule
of visitations; establish a solid rapport with staff at those locations;
and solidify the linkages through memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and
letters."
Two of the first outreach workers were once homeless veterans. In 2001,
two women were added to the social worker staff, reflecting the need to provide
more specialized services for the fastest growing segment of the nation's
homeless veteran population.
Case management is divided into three categories. Clinical case managers
focus on chemical dependency and mental health issues. A full-time professional
clinician provides individual and family counseling for clients coping with
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Persian Gulf illnesses. Residential
case managers work in the VOC emergency and transitional housing programs.
Vocational case managers deal with barriers to employment other than clinical
issues, such as food, clothing, transportation and other needs.
Three employment specialists are assigned to focus primarily on job development.
One works with HVRP clients; one with the general, non-homeless veteran population;
and one with clients working to overcome serious barriers to employment,
such as disabilities, legal problems and the need for intensive social services
support.
The Resource Center is the one-stop career development and vocational training
facility of the VOC. The center is the "launching pad" for the
employment assistance program, providing counseling, case management, housing
assistance and a full range of services and training. The center is a collaborative
base of operations for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outreach staff
and New York State Division of Veterans Affairs full-time benefits counselors.
A DOL-VETS Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) counselor provides on-site
employment services.
The Resource Center also features a Veterans Community Technology Center
(state-of-the-art computer center for skills training) and Quartermaster's
Club, which provides professional work clothing for the job-ready veteran.
VOC's employment services program features several unique initiatives
that warrant special mention. The VETNET program is a weekly group networking
session that brings VOC staff, area employers and veteran job seekers together
to share information and foster the development of employment opportunities.
The PROGRO initiative provides additional, more specialized training so veterans
can advance in their careers. The HVRP "On-the-Job" Training
project places clients in two- to four-week subsidized training opportunities
in local businesses to help them develop basic job skills and personal responsibility.
Another program of notable merit is the Veterans Alternatives to Incarceration
Program (VATIP). Organized in 2000 to reduce criminal behavior and re-arrest
rates, VATIP is supported by government agencies and private foundations.
VOC case managers work with attorneys, judges and public defenders in state,
county and city courts to link veterans with drug treatment programs. To
remain in the program, participants must achieve one year of sobriety, earn
at least a high school or equivalency diploma, and obtain and maintain steady,
gainful employment.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003*
|
Measure |
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
356 |
365 |
103% |
Vocational Assessments |
332 |
301 |
91% |
Educational Assessments |
|
186 |
n/a |
Employment Placement |
246 |
230 |
93% |
Permanent housing placement |
286 |
247 |
86% |
Average wage at job placement |
$7.75 |
$8.25 |
110% |
* Numbers represent totals from two concurrent HVRP program grants.
The collaborative network that supports and helps ensure the success of
the VOC HVRP program includes:
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Outreach worker assigned
to VOC; teams with VOC staff; links VOC clients to VA hospital, domiciliary
and outpatient services.
- New York State Division of Veterans Affairs Two
full-time staff persons assigned to VOC for benefits counseling and
claims assistance.
- New York State Department of Labor Provides on-site DVOP
to case manage and job develop with VOC staff. DVOP counselor is funded through
the U.S. Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service.
- Salvation Army-Rochester: HVRP grantee shares training, counseling
and work resources.
- Science linkages in the Community/Micrecycle Provides material
assistance and consultants to facilitate veterans' computer training.
- Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 20 In addition to financial
support, provides employment opportunities in its retail thrift store for
VOC clients. Also partners with VOC to operate the Welcome Home Program ("Hand-up" to
veterans returning from overseas duties).
- Procurement Technical Assistance
Center Identifies and links
VOC clients with vet-owned business and companies with defense contracts.
- Unified Court System-7th District Drug court referrals for
VATIP program.
- Veterans Interfaith Clergy Advisory of Rochester (VICAR) Provides
outreach support, referrals and meets monthly at the VOC as an advisory group
to the VOC's homeless programs.
- LIFESPAN Area's elderly worker specialists and U.S.
DOL older worker grantee. Provides training, employment, financial management,
protection to abused elderly, ombudsman program and more. Provides services
to VOC's veterans over 55 (provides subsidized training worksites for
vets not ready for employment). Also serves women veterans in its Women
in Transition program.
- Job Development Network Organization of 30
government and non-profit employment providers that networks to identify
job opportunities for hard-to-place clients. Meets monthly at the VOC.
Key Strategies and Recommendations
Outreach Start building collaborations with other community providers
quickly and don't leave any important linkages out. Better to have
too many than not enough. Maintain constant contact with them develop
a schedule of phone contacts and regular visitations; implement them as soon
as possible. Obtain commitments (MOU's), detailing precisely what each
party will do for the other. Use the media as much as possible to help market
the program and network with reporters and PR contacts free coverage
is available for those willing to work a little to earn it (assertive salesmanship).
Case Management Don't get bogged down trying to do everything
and provide services that someone else can do better and quicker. Utilize
all of the linkages available and promote teamwork in the process.
Employment Total quality management … everyone is a customer.
Employer involvement as a customer and provider is important. Market the
program aggressively to the employer and utilize employers in all aspects
of the process recruitment, skills assessment, training, mentoring,
networking and focus groups. Host a community Veterans Job Fair, open houses
for employers (letting clients market themselves).
Public municipal and military facilities are often free and cost effective
for such events (VOC spends between $79 and $950 each on Job Fairs and Stand
Downs, utilizing many volunteers and donations, primarily from veteran organizations).
Newsletters to employers that highlight clients' objectives, skills
and experience work well, not only to match clients with employers, but to
market the program in general. They also are a good motivational tool for
clients who find it encouraging to see such wide dissemination of information
and use the newsletters while networking at recruitment events.
Training Many inexpensive and free resources are available in communities
to promote computer tech education. Use them to the max and build training
partners to insure the longevity and financial stability of your training
programs. Start a reserve of volunteers to augment your training programs it's
much easier to get volunteers for training than for fund raising or watching
phones!
Housing Housing is so important for a homeless employment program
that any grantee that can afford it should dedicate at least a part-time
individual to developing good working relationships with landlords and other
housing providers. Help with other things furnishings, utilities,
security deposits, etc. takes much burden off the minds of clients
(and often staff). As a back-up, the housing staff person should develop
a back-up list of housing availability and resources to help find housing,
to be shared with the whole staff and kept updated. As in Rochester, several
agencies can work together on developing a list and share it regularly.
Volunteers of America of Central Ohio (VOA) has been helping families and
individuals since 1904. A well established, faith-based community organization,
VOA has a successful homeless services program that assists clients in finding
and securing housing, employment, connections with health and human service
agencies, educational opportunities and access to vocational training programs.
When the opportunity arose to expand services to focus on homeless veterans,
VOA was up to the task.
In 2003, VOA applied for and received a grant from the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS) through its Homeless Veterans Reintegration
Program (HVRP). HVRP is dedicated to helping homeless veterans access vital
employment assistance in order to re-enter the workforce. These individuals
frequently face special challenges including legal issues, mental and physical
disabilities and substance abuse problems. HVRP, authorized in 1987 under
Section 738 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, and administered
by the DOL Veterans Employment and Training Service, is the only national
program that specifically targets homeless veterans.
Each organization or agency receiving HVRP grant funding is required to
administer a program that includes collaboration with other local mainstream
service providers to enhance the services available to its participants.
It must also demonstrate that its program is unique, successful and replicable.
On those counts, VOA of Central Ohio stands among the national leaders.
No fewer than 14 local emergency and transitional housing organizations
and agencies work with VOA staff and their clients, including several faith-based
charitable organizations, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Ohio Coalition
for the Homeless and the Columbus Compact. Some facilities provide therapeutic
recovery programs, some focus on women and single-parent families. Some programs
offer permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities.
Recognizing that many homeless people regardless of veteran status are
impacted by mental illness, disabilities and substance abuse problems, nearly
a dozen partners provide drug and alcohol treatment programs, mental health
services, general health care and rehabilitative programs, either in concert
with local VA facilities or independently.
Employment and educational services are provided by a strong coalition of
government agencies and community-based service providers. The HVRP grant
and focus on veteran-specific challenges actually strengthened an already
enviable regional network. VOA of Central Ohio has forged a commendable alliance
that includes:
- Columbus VA Medical Center Health Care for the Homeless Program
- VA Veterans
Business Administration
- Ohio Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation
- Franklinton Job Shop
- Gladden Community House (program referrals and
job fairs)
- Central Ohio Vocational Rehabilitation
- The Literacy Council
- First Source (Franklin County, employment by
companies receiving tax credits for employing veterans)
- Central Ohio
Transit Authority (discounted bus passes)
- Ohio Department of Jobs
and Family Services
- Communities in Schools (literacy, GED, other educational
programs)
- Department of Labor Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP)
and Local Veteran Employment Representative (LVER) specialists.
HVRP Program Outcomes FY 2003
|
Measure |
|
|
|
Total Program Enrollments |
204 |
262 |
128% |
Total Agency Assessments |
252 |
287 |
114% |
Vocational Assessments |
188 |
282 |
150% |
Employment Placement |
122 |
124 |
102% |
Permanent housing placement |
186 |
72 |
39%* |
Average wage at job placement |
$8.00 |
$8.61 |
108% |
* There are a significant number of HVRP participants
who are currently involved in either alcohol and drug treatment programs
that require residency in their facilities. These HVRP participants will
not transition into permanent housing until they complete those programs.
Through its Career Academy, VOA of Central Ohio offers homeless veterans
an interactive adult learning model that centers on job readiness training
and requires client participation in career planning and identifying personal
employment goals. The employment preparation process begins with the development
of an Individual Employment Plan (IEP) that takes into consideration special
needs such as life skills training, cultural diversity and conflict
resolution, behavioral modification that includes professional and business
etiquette, and learning job retention skills.
Classroom sessions include resume preparation, job search techniques and
resources, computer training, developing interview skills, introduction to
the Internet, filing online job applications, and business writing. Program
managers help veterans throughout the process, from enrollment to follow-up
meetings. Clients will spend an average of six weeks in the academy, although
the length of time and courses the veteran needs will depend on his or her
IEP.
The program further empowers the homeless veteran job seeker by providing
free email service; access to computers, fax machines and telephones; transportation
to job fairs and interviews in the greater Columbus community; discount public
transportation passes; assistance with child care issues; referrals to select
clothing retailers that honor vouchers or offer discounts to program participants;
food coupons; and an alumni club that provides peer support and fellowship.
According to program director Kimberly Ensign, the addition of two HVRP
Outreach Specialists to the VOA of Central Ohio staff allowed the program
to exceed program
goals for FY 2003 in total number of assessments, enrollments and employment
placements. These specialists travel throughout the central Ohio region to
locate homeless veterans, establish a rapport with them, and welcome them
into the program. Staff also visit area homeless service providers and employers
to teach them about the HVRP program and the benefits of collaboration with
the program. Developing and maintaining open, honest communication with the
region's employers is a critical part of the employment program, both
for assessment of participating veterans and for cultivating job placement
opportunities.
The HVRP program is an integral part of a homeless services network that
utilizes several of the operating divisions of VOA of Central Ohio. Veterans
receive assistance through Family Services, Men's Services, and the
Educational and Vocational Services divisions, and may participate in social
activities and supportive programs at the Logan and Dayton community centers.
The organization reaches out to serve the homeless in both urban and rural
areas, and depends heavily on the commitment of staff to overcome the logistical
difficulties such a wide sphere of influence presents.
- For more information about the Volunteers of America of Central
Ohio HVRP Program, contact Kimberly Ensign at kensign@voacentralohio.org,
or call 614-351-1881.
- For information about the Department of Labor
Veterans Employment and Training Service programs, go to: www.dol.gov/vets/.
Central City Concern of Portland, OR, was created as the Burnside Consortium
in the 1970s a coalition to address the problem of alcoholism and
substance abuse under a National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
(NIAAA) Public Inebriate grant. Under that funding program, the consortium
organized the Homeless Alcohol and Drug Intervention Network (HADIN), through
which publicly funded agencies could coordinate services, improve the region's
service delivery system, and track clients' progress. The network has
been meeting every week since 1980.
Central City Concern (CCC) is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working
to provide solutions to homelessness in the Portland and Vancouver, WA, metropolitan
areas. With a mission "to provide pathways to self-sufficiency through
active intervention in poverty and homelessness," CCC's housing,
employment services, health care, mental health and substance abuse treatment
programs serve more than 12,000 clients each year.
CCC has almost 500 employees and an annual operating budget of more than
$25 million. Its innovative continuum of services is administered by a central
office that provides financial and contract services, and is supported by
more than 100 funding sources. Actually, more than 3,500 individuals, businesses,
corporations, civic groups, churches and private foundations make regular
financial contributions to Central City Concern each year.
The organization also has several contracts with federal, state, county
and city governments, and has managed many federal grant programs. For the
last six years, CCC has received funds under the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP).
The total budget for all of CCC's veteran assistance programs is $840,000;
and in FY 2003, $210,351 of that came from an HVRP grant. CCC has received
funding under the DOL-VETS program continuously since April 1998. It is estimated
there are about 5,270 homeless veterans in the service area, and CCC's
HVRP program has been able to provide services for only about 8% of them
in the last six years. The organization is therefore dedicated to expanding
its services for the homeless veteran subpopulation.
Central City Concern's HVRP builds on the strength of the agency's
One Stop employment center, its continuum of services and housing, and its
collaborations with federal and state agencies, and community-based service
providers. Homeless veterans who participate in the HVRP program receive
the following services:
- Skills and interest assessment.
- Individualized employment planning
- Case management
- Training and workshops on methods of seeking work,
resume creation, interview skills, and other pre-employment training
support
- Tutorials and classes
- Computer skills training
- Vocational training
- Access to a resource center, including personal
voice mail, telephones, computer, printer, Internet, fax and copy machines
- Transportation assistance
- An employment service program developed
for ex-offenders
- Employment-related housing programs
- Job development
- Follow-up and retention services that include employer
support services
During the last quarter century, Central City Concern has developed a powerful,
effective coalition of employment service providers by establishing and strengthening
collaborative agreements with:
- Oregon Employment Department A representative of the OED
is out-stationed in CCC offices for 8 hours per day.
- Department of Social
and Health Services Administration of
the food stamp program and Oregon Health Plan. DHS provides two full-time
employment case workers.
- Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Provides
services to persons with disabilities. Representatives are on-site 4 hours
each week and available to see veteran clients.
- Multnomah County Aging
and Disabilities Focuses on needs
of aging and disabled persons. A representative is on-site for 3 ½ hours
each week.
- Dislocated Worker Program Provides services to workers who
have lost jobs through no fault of their own. A representative is on-site
for 3 ½ hours per week.
- AARP Helps provide employment opportunities
for persons 55 years and older. Two AARP work-experience assistants are
available in the CCC resource room each day to provide full-time resource
assistance.
- Multnomah County Department of Adult Community Justice Provides
assistance to clients who are just returning to the community from incarceration,
many of whom are veterans. In addition, HVRP staff visit Multnomah County
Jails, the federal prison at Sheridan and other correctional facilities
to provide pre-release inmates with information about the services provided
by HVRP and the West Portland One Stop.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) CCC is an active
participant in the VA's Community Reintegration Services. HVRP also
participates in the CHALENG program.
- Faith-Based Organizations Coordination
of efforts to serve the veteran population. Organizations include the
Salvation Army, Union Gospel Mission, Teen Challenge, Portland Rescue
Mission and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.
- Mercy Enterprises Inc.,
a division of Mercy Corps Provides
assistance through Individual Development Accounts and Loan programs to
assist veterans interested in starting their own enterprise. Guidance
is offered in the preparation of sound business plans to enhance project
success.
In addition, CCC maintains close contact with the Mayor's Office and
the City Commissioners of Portland, as well as the office of the Multnomah
County Chair, the Mayor's Office of Vancouver, and the County Administrator
in Clark County.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
335 |
301 |
90% |
Pre-employment services |
310 |
301 |
97% |
Employment Placement |
155 |
144 |
93% |
Housing Placement |
260 |
244 |
94% |
Average wage at job placement |
8.00 |
9.16 |
114% |
HVRP Program Outcomes FY 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Retained Employment 90 days |
60 |
65 |
217% |
Retained Employment 180 days |
30 |
38 |
127% |
Classroom Training |
550 |
1398 |
254% |
On the Job Training |
25 |
24 |
96% |
Remedial Education |
25 |
27 |
108% |
Occupational Skills Training |
35 |
32 |
91% |
Alcohol and Drug Treatment |
70 |
75 |
107% |
Offender Services |
75 |
71 |
95% |
Central City Concern is also the largest employer of formerly homeless individuals
in Portland. Of its 400 staff members who work with homeless clients, roughly
75% are in recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol, and many have experienced
homelessness firsthand. This makes case managers more effective in their
interaction with clients, and stronger advocates for CCC programs during
discussions with area employers, government agencies and service providers.
Collaboration to develop effective, comprehensive employment services for
homeless veterans is the prime objective of the HVRP program, and that has
long been CCC's strong suit in its campaign to help the homeless of
coastal northern Oregon and southern Washington. Program successes in housing
and employment placements across two state and several county jurisdictional
boundaries attest to the value of the Central City Concern HVRP program
as a replicable "Best Practice."
Life on the streets for a homeless veteran is a struggle for survival a
constant battle against hunger, the elements and the threat of violence.
It's not unlike the paths many veterans traveled while serving in combat.
In Philadelphia, homeless veterans can escape the ravages of homelessness
and restore their hope for a better future inside "The Perimeter."
Administered by the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center,
and borrowing its name from the tactical military boundary between danger
and relative safety, The Perimeter is a homeless veteran day center providing
a comprehensive range of on-site supportive services and referrals to federal,
state and municipal assistance programs for low-income families and the homeless.
The center is staffed by an administrator, veteran intake counselor, assessment
specialists, case managers, a veterans benefits and job development specialist,
and a life skills instructor.
Homeless veterans arrive at The Perimeter through referrals from VA medical
centers and community-based service providers, and through Philadelphia Multi-Service
and Education Center (PVMSEC) outreach initiatives. Once inside The Perimeter,
the veteran has immediate access to showers, haircuts, other hygiene services,
food, clothing, laundry and bathroom facilities, emergency shelter, counseling,
referrals to services, and transportation assistance. The Perimeter accommodates
both men and women veterans, regardless of their VA eligibility status.
A Veteran Outreach Specialist from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Regional Office provides on-site benefits counseling and helps veterans file
claims and applications for discharge upgrades. Legal assistance is available
through the Homeless Advocacy Project. Daily educational sessions are offered
on developing life skills, relationships, personal care and health issues,
substance abuse programs, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and financial
planning. Veterans have immediate, on-site access to a Pennsylvania Job Center
Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist, funded by the Department
of Labor-Veterans Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS). Medical and
mental health assessment, care, treatment and referrals are an integral part
of the services offered on-site, every day at The Perimeter.
Placement in the Transitional Housing Program, LZ II, is available to homeless
veterans who qualify for PVMSEC programs at the Coatesville VA Medical Center.
Qualification depends on verification of VA benefits eligibility and proving
substance-free status for at least 90 days. Depending on individual plans
and client progress, veterans may stay in the transitional housing program
for up to two years.
The PVMSEC was awarded a Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP)
grant in 1990 to fund its employment training and placement services. The
program's success has resulted in annual grants of $250,000 every year
since.
Services provided to the veteran client begin with an assessment of personal
needs, skills and training necessary for job placement. Results of the assessment
are incorporated into an individual plan that includes housing, supportive
services, and job preparation and placement assistance.
Once clients are enrolled, case managers help them remain on track and facilitate
referrals to whatever services they need to succeed. Through The Perimeter,
residents have access to mailing addresses, computers, telephones and other
services that help reduce the cost of daily living and employment searches.
Training courses on-site include computer repair, hospitality industry positions,
and food services. Other educational and vocational program needs are addressed
through client plans and referrals to other area agencies. The program includes
job placement, help with personal budgets and financial management, and follow-up
services.
Just as important as the direct services provided to homeless veterans are
the HVRP program's efforts to develop and maintain employment opportunities
for its participants. This is accomplished through constant and determined
communication with employers throughout Philadelphia and Delaware, Chester,
Bucks and Montgomery counties. PVMSEC has sponsored the Philadelphia Stand
Down for 12 years, and works closely with several agencies that help veterans
facing significant barriers to employment and independent living through
memorandums of understanding (MOUs). A partial list includes:
- VA Medical Centers in Philadelphia and Coatesville, PA
- U.S. Department
of Labor
- Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
- Deputy Managing Director's
City Outreach
- Homeless Advocacy Project
- Tenant's Advisory Group
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine
- Access West Philadelphia Mental Health
- Bowling Green Behavioral Health
Hospital
- Belmont Hospital
- Combar Mental Health, Mental Retardation
- Eagleville Hospital
- Fairmont Behavioral Outpatient Services
- Philadelphia Gate Keeper
for Medical Assistance Consumers
- Friends Hospital
- Horizon House
- Kirkbride Hospital
- OESS Shelter Plus Care II Veterans Housing Program
- Salvation Army
offices in Philadelphia, Scranton, PA, Wilmington, DE, and Buffalo,
NY.
A large number of PVMSEC clients are elderly or need help working through
mental health and substance abuse issues. The assistance network within
which the center operates is one of the most extensive in the nation.
Compliance with treatment plans can pose problems for homeless veteran clients,
but The Perimeter staff prides itself in offering close supervision and support,
providing scheduling and transportation assistance. All clients are offered
this support. Veterans who are eligible for VA benefits receive medical
services through the VA; ineligible veterans receive treatment and follow-up
services at network agencies.
The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center has met or
exceeded all of its HVRP program goals consistently since the inception of
the program. Part of that success can be attributed to the outreach efforts
of the organization to homeless veterans and to area service providers
and employers; and to an even larger degree, perhaps, to the comprehensive
range of services veterans can access immediately at The Perimeter. The center's
innovative focuses on specialized assistance for the aging, disabled and
women veterans have earned the organization a national reputation for providing
seamless services delivery across the full continuum of care, as has its
embrace of all veterans in need regardless of eligibility status.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
340 |
364 |
107% |
Vocational Assessments |
240 |
255 |
106% |
Educational Assessments |
88 |
98 |
111% |
Employment Placement |
178 |
199 |
112% |
Permanent housing placement |
44 |
52 |
118% |
Average wage at job placement |
$8.10 |
$8.40 |
103% |
In 1982, a group of Vietnam War veterans started the Vietnam Veterans Leadership
Program (VVLP) to address emerging needs of veterans in Southwest Pennsylvania.
This grassroots effort has grown into a 23-employee, $2.2 million dollar
organization, mostly funded through grants from government and nonprofit
entities. The primary focus of their work is to help veterans achieve self-sufficiency
through employment, housing and support services.
Among the agencies funding VVLP is the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Through
its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), homeless veterans who
are frequently unable to access traditional employment services receive vital
assistance to reenter the workforce.
There are many reasons homeless veterans are unable to access traditional
employment programs. These can include disabling conditions, including Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), HIV-AIDS, and problems associated with
substance abuse. Many homeless veterans also have complicated legal issues
with which they need assistance. Helping this population requires intensive
assessment, case management and counseling services not found in most traditional
veteran employment programs.
VVLP was awarded a $151,869 grant in FY2003 that focuses on a job placement
and retention program for more than 300 homeless veterans including
National Guard and reservists who have served on active duty other than training who
are unemployed or underemployed. These individuals possess marketable skills;
however, other factors that include addiction, mental health challenges and
legal problems, prohibit them from returning to full employment. Participants
in the program must have a "other than dishonorable discharge" status
and provide proof of their veteran status. VVLP receives another grant of
$291,918 that provides longer-term training for clients who lack marketable
skills. VVLP provides specialized services for homeless veterans who are
female and those who are leaving incarceration. These programs help homeless
veterans and their families reenter the mainstream of society.
VVLP is the single largest provider of housing for homeless veterans in
the Greater Pittsburgh area. The organization provides housing and supportive
services, including utility assistance and other basic needs. VVLP administers
five U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and two Allegheny
County grants to provide transitional and permanent housing for 115 veterans
and their family members in 84 apartment units. Clients include individual
veterans, both male and female, as well as those with custody of their children.
Financial support for VVLP is also provided by:
- Allegheny County Department of Human Services.
- Pennsylvania Department
of Labor.
- Allegheny County Department of Economic Development.
- U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Veteran Affairs.
- United Way of Allegheny County.
- Corporations, foundations and private
donors.
Executive Director Ron Zola credits a collaborative spirit among several
organizations with creating a continuum of care for homeless clients. This
continuum includes outreach, assessment, enrollment, training, job placement
and follow-up services, housing, transportation, health care and other supportive
services. Access to these services improves the potential for job permanency
and self-sufficiency. At least 17 programs support the continuum, including
soup kitchens, welfare agencies, shelters, hospitals, food pantries, the
VA, DOL Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment
Representatives (LVER).
Several youth service agencies, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Boys
and Girls Clubs, assist the children of homeless veterans, many of whom are
also homeless, with needs assessment and children's programs. This
multi-agency, regional collaboration is the result of several years of constructive
and follow-up communication among several homeless service providers in Southwest
Pennsylvania.
VVLP has instituted a fathering initiative that teaches homeless veterans
parenting skills and provides opportunities for them to reconnect with their
children. Establishing renewed bonds with their children helps veterans reclaim
their full sense of self respect and encourages them in their effort to return
to more stable lives. The fathering program currently serves 37 parents who
have custody of their children.
The regional, multi-agency partnership approach by VVLP to serving homeless
veterans and their families has become a model for the HVRP program. After
awarding HVRP grants, DOL asks all grantees to designate their most innovative
approach to providing job training and placement assistance to homeless veterans,
and requires grantees to maintain and utilize links with other service providers
in the community. DOL also requires grantees to show how their programs are
unique and worthy of replication in other areas. DOL-VETS provides technical
assistance continuously throughout the grant period, and monitors these programs
quarterly with at least one site visit in the third quarter. Reports on the
success of the VVLP program must demonstrate timely programmatic success
by the third quarter of each grant year to qualify for grant renewal. The
VVLP program has exceeded virtually all of its job placement program goals.
VVLP HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
Component |
|
|
|
Total Assessments* |
438 |
451 |
103% |
Employment Placements |
170 |
179 |
105% |
Total Program Enrollments** |
320 |
327 |
102% |
Vocational Training |
220 |
234 |
106% |
Housing Placements |
|
258 |
|
What makes the collaboration between VVLP and the community unique, according
to Zola, is the complementary way the agencies work to support each other
while minimizing duplication of services. He cites Operation Safety Net,
a street outreach program administered by Pittsburgh Mercy Hospital, as
a group that locates potential clients. This allows VVLP to focus more
closely on the activities it performs best, namely job placement, transitional
and permanent housing placement and case management.
Other agencies, such as Goodwill, provide his client with job training.
This collaboration succeeds, he explains, without a memorandum of understanding,
relying on provider familiarity, communication, and a desire among all partners
to help clients succeed.
Other key contributors to the success of the VVLP program include:
- VA Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veteran
Employment Representatives (LVER). DOL-VETS pays for these State Workforce
Agency employees who can be out-stationed at various locations, including
HVRP grantee sites and Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
- The
VA healthcare system.
- Outreach at Stand Downs.
- Accurate and timely administrative and financial
systems and reports, which are required to receive continued funding.
Operation Stand Down Nashville (OSDN) began its work with homeless veterans
in 1993 when it first began coordinating a yearly Stand Down event in central
Tennessee. By 1999 it had become a 501(c)3 organization and had begun full-time
operations. In 2001, OSDN applied for and received a grant from the Department
of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service under the Homeless
Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) to provide employment and other supportive
services tailored to the specific needs of homeless veterans. Due to its
success in helping formerly homeless veterans obtain steady employment and
permanent housing, the program has received funding every year since.
The OSDN program has a three-pronged approach to the delivery of employment
assistance to homeless veterans. The first is providing the resources of
traditional homeless employment programs, including items that are needed
to go to work, such as clothing, bus tokens, food and eyeglasses. Clients
develop a plan to facilitate their job search, including resume preparation,
interview training and personal development counseling.
The second service effort involves continuous, effective communication with
employers about the advantages of hiring veterans. When the attributes of
the veterans are properly described, many employers will select them over
a non-veteran.
The third service effort is developing strong support among the various
organizations that can help improve employment placement. These include veteran
service organizations (VSOs), state employment agencies, for-profit employment
agencies, and other relevant groups.
What makes OSDN unique in the community is its ability to enlighten employers
about the specific advantages of hiring veterans. Most human resource directors
have never served in the military and have little knowledge of the training
that soldiers receive. When the unique qualities of veterans are explained,
and misconceptions about veterans are laid to rest, many companies are inspired
to offer interviews to OSDN clients. By expanding the network of employers
involved in the program, OSDN has succeeded in finding employment opportunities
for clients that had previously been closed.
OSDN started its HVRP employment services program in 2001 with four employees:
an outreach worker, two employment counselors and an employment secretary.
Funding has since been increased to provide a veteran service coordinator,
an employment assistant and a front desk coordinator. This increase in staff
improved OSDN's ability to provide a more comprehensive level of service
with the resources necessary to help clients achieve self-sufficiency.
Bill Burleigh, Executive Director of OSDN, believes the three-pronged approach
his organization takes can be easily replicated in other communities. He
states that building relationships in the community is key to the program's
success. Once employers have embraced the value of hiring program clients,
the veterans they hire typically become model employees. The word quickly
spreads, with the help of OSDN staff, and participation by other employers
increases.
A major requirement for all HVRP programs is that they provide linkages
to other mainstream services in the communities served. This includes communicating
the availability of the service being provided and collaborating with other
organizations to maximize services to the client. Connecting with the community
organizations and widely publicizing the program are core functions of the
OSDN program.
Having coordinated the annual stand down for the past 11 years, OSDN has
built strong partnerships with many participating service organizations in
the community, including all of the local social service providers, veteran
service organizations, and government agencies that work to end homelessness,
including:
Non-Profits
- The Campus for Human Development
- Dismas House
- Oxford House
- Matthew 25
- Project Return
- Salvation Army
- Nashville Rescue Mission
Government Agencies
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center
- VA Veterans Benefits
Administration Regional Office
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce
Development
- State of Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs
- City of Nashville
government agencies
Funders/Foundations
- United Way
- Center for Nonprofit Management
- HCA Foundation
- Private organizations and civic groups
The Department of Labor requires grant recipients to set and meet specific
measurements of success. In FY 2003, OSDN reported the following outcomes:
OSDN HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Total Program Enrollments |
120 |
324 |
270% |
Employment Placements |
76 |
271 |
357% |
Average hourly wage @ placement |
$7.25 |
$9.71 |
134% |
Employment After 30 Days |
36 |
214 |
595% |
Employment After 90 Days |
44 |
136 |
309% |
Operation Stand Down Nashville has by far exceeded all program goals for
FY 2003, and its track record in long-term employment placements is commendable
by any standard. The OSDN outreach worker has personally experienced homelessness
and has a firsthand understanding of the issues homeless people face. This
individual excels at finding homeless veterans and building a strong rapport
with them. This positive interaction promotes client willingness to access
OSDN services.
The staff worker also keeps social service agencies informed of OSDN services.
An on-site computer lab with internet access aids job searches and training
efforts. OSDN participates as a member of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce,
which improves networking with and access to potential employers.
OSDN staff members, while providing employment counseling to homeless veteran
clients, also assist them with issues related to housing. The agency provides
transitional housing and supportive services to its clients to help them
adjust to their new environment. OSDN recognizes the accomplishments of its
current housing clients and celebrates the success of former clients at scheduled
banquets. Current and former clients are joined these events by OSDN board
members and key members of the community.
Taking time to celebrate client achievements provides hope for current residents
that they can succeed, emotional support for graduates to continue their
good work, and public knowledge of the outstanding efforts being made by
and on behalf of homeless individuals to help them reenter the workforce
and community.
Through a combination of strong human service delivery, excellent marketing
of clients and strong network building, Operation Stand Down Nashville provides
homeless veterans an opportunity to find and sustain high quality, long-lasting
employment. This promotes dignity and self sufficiency for homeless veterans
and leads to brighter futures. This program serves as a replicable model
for other urban areas and is a national HVRP Best Practice.
The American GI Forum (AGIF) was originally created in 1948 to provide assistance
to veterans of Hispanic heritage who were not being reached adequately by
national programs under the authority of the Veterans Administration or by
state government programs. Through outreach efforts in Hispanic communities,
strong advocacy and local care provider networks, AGIF became experienced
in coalition building and a force in developing and implementing integrated
service delivery systems long before the idea was recognized as a social
services necessity.
Headquartered in San Antonio, AGIF-National Veterans Outreach Program (NVOP)
has remained committed to opening the doors of opportunity for underserved
veteran populations, but its theater of operations has grown much broader
than, perhaps, even its founders could have imagined. A closer look at AGIF's
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) reveals the change women,
African American, Hispanic, disabled and "special disabled" veterans
are represented as major subgroups. Not coincidently, these groups present
challenges that share common threads, such as lack of available specialized
services, limited financial resources and societal prejudices. And since
there is no "one size fits all" solution to the problems that
result in homelessness, the diversity of AGIF's program participants
presents its own unique obstacles to success.
The AGIF National Veterans Outreach Program was launched in 1972, and it
has been providing supportive services to homeless veterans ever since. Already
experienced in collaborating with community partners to expand the services
homeless veterans need to stabilize their lives and get off the streets,
AGIF in San Antonio was awarded its first Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service HVRP grant in 1993. Since that first $150,000 investment,
DOL-VETS has awarded the San Antonio HVRP program more than $3.3 million,
a testament to its ability to provide steady, gainful employment for a diverse
homeless veteran population facing mild to severe barriers to re-entry into
the workforce.
The cornerstone of AGIF's homeless veteran program continues to be
its outreach efforts. Staff search for potential veteran clients through
street sweeps, regular visits to emergency shelters, and constant communication
with social services organizations. Most homeless veterans are not aware
of the assistance that is available; and without AGIF's outreach initiatives,
local agencies and community-based organizations would not know about its
veteran-specific programs.
Homeless veterans receive an intake assessment to determine their health
status and immediate individual needs, eligibility for AGIF homeless veteran
programs, and supportive services they will require. Case managers also determine
the veteran's eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability
and pension benefits, as well as other federal assistance programs.
As veterans are enrolled in the program, every effort is made to take care
of their basic needs. This usually means shelter, food, clothing and medical
attention. For any services that cannot be provided in-house, staff members
rely on other community and government agencies that can provide them. San
Antonio has an active Continuum of Care Committee that has more than 50 participating
agencies providing services to homeless individuals and families. Government
agencies, private groups and community-based organizations have signed memorandums
of understanding (MOUs) with each other to provide those services, and AGIF
was instrumental in the formation of that network.
The initial intervention providing a safe, nurturing environment
in which to begin the process of reintegration into society was facilitated
by the creation of the "One-Stop Veteran Service Center." Several
continuum of care service providers are located on-site in one location to
provide direct assistance and referrals for homeless veterans. This is where
they come into contact with:
- VA Health Care for the Homeless Program
- Transitional housing program
placement staff
- Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training
Service (DOL-VETS)
- DOL-VETS Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program
- DOL-VETS Veterans
Workforce Investment Program
- VA VET Center counselors
- Vocational training and educational programs
- Computer skills and Internet
training
- Food, clothing and transportation services
Though the HVRP funding is wholly dedicated to employment readiness, job
search, employment placement and follow-up case management services, other
grants have had a significant impact on the AGIF employment service system.
A Department of Housing and Urban Development Veteran Integration Program
(VIP) grant helps provide case management and job placement funds, freeing
up HVRP funds for more training and employment-related supportive services.
The VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program and a VA leased transitional
housing project have allowed AGIF to enhance its housing and One-Stop Veterans
Service Center programs.
One of the most striking features of the AGIF employment program for homeless
veterans is its ability to provide immediate, temporary job placement for
program participants in the organization's box manufacturing and property
weatherization companies. Clients can gradually re-orient themselves to the
workplace, developing a sense of personal responsibility and achievement,
with the benefit of flex-time schedules that allow for visits to health care
facilities, service agencies, counseling appointments, and educational and
vocational training programs.
They also begin to develop a renewed sense of financial responsibility.
The objective is to help clients develop the skills they will need to succeed
when they re-enter the workforce. The initiative also gives case managers
insight into how well clients are progressing in their individual improvement
programs as they assess their readiness for other employment.
HVRP Program Outcomes 2003
|
Measure |
|
|
|
Total Agency Enrollments |
166 |
169 |
102% |
Vocational Assessments |
166 |
169 |
102% |
Educational Assessments |
108 |
109 |
101% |
Employment Placement |
100 |
117 |
117% |
Permanent housing placement |
41 |
49 |
120% |
Average wage at job placement |
$6.75 |
$8.49 |
126% |
AGIF has more than three decades of experience helping homeless veterans,
and its staff has a long and celebrated track record finding and developing
employment opportunities for its clients. The effort has been enhanced by
the organization's longstanding involvement with the entire San Antonio
business and public services community.
AGIF is recognized as San Antonio's leading authority in the veterans' employment
and training arena, and that helps staff promote mutually beneficial relationships
with area employers. Developing cooperative arrangements with, and earning
the trust of, private and public employment sectors is a process that requires
initiative and diligence. Maintaining and safeguarding those arrangements
is paramount to the success of any employment services program.
Participation in the city's Continuum of Care Committee, active involvement
and leadership in the San Antonio Homeless Coalition, and a strong partnership
with the Department of Labor, the VA and HUD have contributed to the emergence
of AGIF's San Antonio HVRP as a national model for community-based
employment services programs.
The Veterans Services Division (VSD) of the State of Washington Department
of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) has the responsibility of helping homeless veterans
in the state. In 2002, VSD noted a gap in services that were available to
homeless women, who represent a much higher percentage of the state's
homeless population (16.5%) than the national average (6%), and who face
unique challenges. With a budget of $3.7 million already dedicated to existing
services, VSD in 2002 applied to the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment
and Training Service (DOL-VETS) for a Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program
(HVRP) grant to help provide employment services for homeless female veterans.
The agency was awarded a grant of $249,638 to launch the Homeless Women Veterans
Reintegration Project (HWVRP) in July 2002. The program was renewed in 2003
for $249,595 and continues to offer supportive services for an estimated
450 homeless women veterans in Washington.
The WVRP program is designed to help employable homeless female veterans
overcome obstacles to finding steady employment and gain access to supportive
services that will enable them to succeed in reentering the workforce. Along
with their homelessness, clients may have to deal with legal issues, mental
and physical health challenges and drug addiction. Many have dependent children
and are the only source of family income.
WDVA offers a wide range of services, including:
- Providing assistance with immediate needs such as food, clothing
and shelter.
- Outreach to homeless providers to identify women veterans
who need help.
- Employability skills assessments.
- Job readiness services housing
needs analysis, therapeutic work, resume development and employment
opportunity referrals.
- Shelter placement.
- Transitional and permanent housing referrals.
- 30, 90 and 180-day follow-up
services for women receiving permanent housing placement and employment.
- Health referrals including referrals for dental, vision and
mental health services.
- A limited amount of prescription assistance.
- Job-related needs, such
as clothing, transportation, child care, food and other financial assistance.
- Education assistance, including remedial courses, trade certification
and licensing.
- Referrals for domestic abuse, post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and sexual trauma treatment and supportive services.
- VA benefits
and other services, such as disability claims, SSI and other income.
HWVRP has found a strong connection between sexual trauma and PTSD among
homeless female veterans. Case studies show that due to fear, a sense
of shame or not being aware help is available, many women have never received
the counseling and supportive services they need to regain a sense of
normalcy. The HWVRP program enlists the assistance of a veterans' benefits
specialist (VBS) who helps these women apply for VA benefits while HWVRP
connects them with the health care and other services they need through
the local provider network.
HVRP grantees must demonstrate a linkage to other mainstream services that
will benefit homeless veterans in the community. HWVRP staff members serve
on several homeless coalitions and other groups that focus on the needs of
veterans and the homeless. This activity enhances public awareness of HWVRP
services and maximizes institutional knowledge of community resources and
potential partnerships. Organizations with which HWVRP collaborates include
those providing resources such as food stamps, child care, employment, training,
clothing, veteran services, medical care, housing and many others.
HWVRP implemented a unique electronic networking system that helps publicize
the services it offers. By alerting every legislator, relevant nonprofit
community-based organization and public agency, the program extends its outreach
to all parts of the state. A widespread mailing of HWVRP brochures and flyers
complements the effort. HWVRP believes this networking system has proven
very effective in coordinating services and could be implemented in all parts
of the country.
In addition to its innovative utilization of a veteran benefits specialist
and electronic networking, HWVRP has worked with its community partners to
hold a conference for female veterans and providers who assist veterans struggling
with homelessness and PTSD. Those partners include VA medical centers, Women
Organizing Women, local Veteran Centers, the King County Veterans Program
and Veterans Independent Enterprises of Washington.
HWVRP Outcomes for July 2002-June 2003
|
|
|
|
|
Program Enrollments |
125 |
113 |
90% |
Housing Placements |
95 |
84 |
88% |
Employment Placements |
87 |
84 |
97% |
Average wage @ placement |
$8.25 |
$9.35 |
113% |
Placement Rate |
70% |
74% |
106% |
HWVRP set challenging goals for itself in FY 2002, enjoying
considerable success in placing clients in employment that pays a living
wage. The goals that were not reached were within the acceptable range and
were impressive enough to earn program funding renewal in 2003. Among homeless
veteran women statewide, one in four was enrolled in the program, and one
in five attained housing and employment. There were many clients not counted
in the HVRP report who gained access to disability and medical benefits.
| |
|