Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness www.gceh.org

Valley Rescue Mission http://www.valleyrescuemission.com  2903 2nd Ave, Columbus, GA   706-322-8267

House of Mercy  1532 3rd Ave, Columbus, GA 706-322-6463

The Center for Family Resources www.thecfr.org

United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley  http://www.unitedwayofthecv.org/ P. O. Box 1157, Columbus, GA 31902    706-327-3255

Salvation Army  Emergency Shelter Manager  1718 2nd Ave, Columbus, GA 31901  706-327-0275

Department of Veterans Affairs Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System  http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=141 2400 Hospital Rd, Tuskegee AL, 36083  1-334-727-0550 Ext 3805 or 1-334-725-2838  (1-800-214-8387)

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans www.nchv.org

Tragedy Assistance Programs for Survivors www.taps.org

CHRC www.chrcatlanta.org

Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry www.hoseafeedthehungry.com

House of Restoration  1200 12th Court   Phenix City, Alabama 36867   334-214-5522

Georgia Legal Services Program  1036 First Ave   Columbus, Georgia 31902-0176   1-800-533-3140

Cobb County Collaborative Group www.cobbcollaborative.org

Overview A number of VA benefits assist homeless veterans, including disability compensation, pension, education and burial benefits. Homeless veterans also are provided special assistance through many VA program initiatives. VA provides health and rehabilitation programs for homeless veterans. Health Care for Homeless Veterans programs provides outreach and comprehensive medical, psychological and rehabilitation treatment programs. Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans programs provides residential rehabilitation services. VA has a growing number of compensated Work Therapy/Therapeutic Residence group homes, special day-time, drop-in centers, and Comprehensive Homeless Centers. VA's Homeless Provides Grant and Per Diem Program assist nonprofit and local government agencies to establish housing or service centers for homeless veterans. Grants are awarded for the construction, acquisition or renovation of facilities, and for the purchase of vans for the transportation of homeless veterans. VA also has joined with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration, veteran's service organizations, and community nonprofit homeless service providers to assist homeless veterans. One-third of the adult homeless male population and nearly one-quarter (23%) of all homeless adults have served their country in the armed services. While there is no true measure of the number of homeless veterans, it has been estimated that more than 250,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night and that twice as many veterans experience homelessness over the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered at risk because of poverty, lack of support from family and friends and precarious living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing. Almost all (97 %) homeless veterans are male and many are single. About 45% of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and, with considerable overlap; slightly more than 70% suffer from alcohol or drug abuse problems.

Who are Homeless Veterans? The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says homeless veterans are mostly males (2% are females). The vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems. America's homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, or the military's anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Forty-seven percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. More than 67% served our country for at least three years and 33% were stationed in a war zone.

How Many Homeless Veterans are There? Although accurate numbers are impossible to verify no one keeps national records on homeless veterans the VA estimates that more that 299,321 veterans are homeless on any given night. More than half-a-million experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every four homeless males who are sleeping in a doorway, alley, or box in our cities and rural communities, has put on a uniform and served our county now they need America to remember them.

Why are Veterans Homeless? In addition to the complex set of factors affecting all homelessness extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income, and access to healthcare...a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse, compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. A top priority is secure, safe, clean housing that is free of drugs and alcohol, and has a supportive environment. VA is the only federal agency that provides substantial hands-on-assistance directly to homeless persons. Although limited to veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country, offering a wide array of services and initiatives to help veterans recover form homelessness and live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible. Nearly one-quarter of homeless veterans have said they have used VA homeless services and 57% have said they have used VA health-care services. VA, using its own resources or in partnerships with others, has secured more than 7,000 transitional and permanent beds for homeless veterans throughout the nation. Using conservative estimates, VA currently spends several billion dollars from its mainstream health care and benefit assistance programs to assist hundreds of thousands of homeless and at-risk veterans. To increase this assistance, VA has initiated outreach efforts to connect more homeless veterans to both mainstream and homeless-specific VA programs and benefits. These programs strive to offer a continuum of services that include:  Aggressive outreach to veterans living on the streets and in shelters who otherwise would not seek assistance.  Clinical assessment and referral to needed medical treatment for physical and psychiatric disorders including substance abuse.  Long-term sheltered transitional assistance, case management and rehabilitation.  Employment assistance and linkage with available income supports and permanent housing. VA is directing more that $150 million to its specialized homeless assistance programs this year, including grants and per diem payments to 298 public and nonprofit groups to assist homeless veterans in 45 states and the District of Columbia. VA sponsors and supports national, regional and local homeless conferences and meetings, bringing together thousands of homeless providers and advocates to discuss community collaborative planning strategies and to provide technical assistance in such areas as transitional housing, mental health and family services, and education and employment opportunities for the homeless.

Homeless Specific Programs VA's Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program (HCHV) operates at 135 sites, where extensive outreach, physical and psychiatric health exams, treatment, referrals, and ongoing case management are provided to homeless veterans with mental health problems, including substance abuse. As appropriate, the HCHV program places homeless veterans needing long-term treatment into one of its 200 contract community-based facilities. During the last reporting year, this program assessed more than 40,000 veterans, with 4,300 receiving residential treatment in community-based treatment facilities. The average length of stay in community-based residential care is about 70 days. More sites with contract residential services will be added this year. VA's Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program provides medical care and rehabilitation in a residential setting on VA medical center grounds to eligible ambulatory veterans disabled by medical or psychiatric disorders, injury or age and who do not need hospitalization or nursing home care. There are 1,791 operational beds available through the program at 35 VA medical centers in 26 states. The program provided residential treatment to nearly 5,500 homeless veterans in FY 1999. The domiciliaries conduct outreach and referral; admission screening and assessment; medical and psychiatric evaluation; treatment, vocational counseling and rehabilitation; and post-discharge community support. Special Outreach and Benefits Assistance is provided through funding from VA's Veterans Health Administration to support 12 veterans' benefits counselors from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) as members of VA's Homeless Chronically Mentally III Veterans Programs and DCHV programs. Veterans Benefits Assistance is provided at Regional Offices by designated staffs who serve as coordinators and points of contact for homeless veterans. The Homeless Eligibility Clarification Act enables eligible veterans without a fixed address to receive VA benefits checks at VA regional offices. VA also has procedures to expedite the processing times for homeless veterans; benefits claims. Last year over 21,000 veterans received services from VA staff members. Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers Program makes available properties VA obtains through foreclosures on VA insured mortgages for sale to homeless provider organizations at a discount of 20 to 50 percent. To date, 173 properties have been sold to non-profit organizations to provide housing for the homeless. Readjustment Counseling Service's Vet Centers have homeless coordinators who provide outreach, psychological counseling, supportive social services and referrals to other VA and community programs. Some 140,000 veterans make more than 800,000 visits to VA's 206 Vet Centers each year. As many as 10% of Vet Center clients are homeless during winter months. Drop-In Centers provide homeless veterans who sleep in shelters or on the streets at night with safe, daytime environments. Eleven centers offer therapeutic activities and programs to improve daily living skills, meals, and a place to shower and wash clothes. At these VA-run centers, veterans also participate in other VA programs that provide more extensive assistance including a variety of therapeutic and rehabilitative activities. Linkage with long-term assistance is also available. Compensated Work-Therapy (CWT) and Compensated Work-Therapy/Transitional Residence Programs have had dramatic increases in activity during the past few years. Through its CWT/TR programs, VA offers structured work opportunities and supervised therapeutic housing for at-risk and homeless veterans with physical, psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. VA contracts with private industry and the public sector for work to be done by these veterans, who learn new job skills, re-learn successful work habits and regain a sense of self-esteem and self-worth. The veterans are paid for their work and, in turn, make a monthly payment toward maintenance and upkeep of the residence. VA operates 51 community-based group homes with a more than 425 beds in transitional residences. Nine program sites with 14 houses exclusively serve homeless veterans. The average length of stay is approximately six months. Currently there are more than 100 individual CWT operations connected to VA medical centers nationwide. More than 15,000 veterans participated in the programs in FY 1999, an increase of more than 5,000 since 1996. CWT programs developed contracts with companies and agencies of government valued at a national total of $43.8 million. At discharge, 44 % of the veterans were placed in competitive employment and 7% were placed in training programs. VA's National Cemetery Administration and Veterans Health Administration have formed partnerships at 20 national cemeteries, where more than 120 formerly homeless veterans from the CWT program have received therapeutic work opportunities while providing VA cemeteries with a supplemental work force. Increased competitive therapeutic work opportunities are occurring each year. Joint Social Security Administration (SSA)/VA Pilot Project provides benefits and services to homeless mentally ill veterans at three sites. HCHV and DCHV staff coordinate outreach and benefits certification with SSA staff to locate and assist homeless veterans in obtaining SSA benefits. Comprehensive Homeless Centers place a variety of VA's homeless programs in a community into a single organizational framework to promote integration within VA and coordination with non-VA homeless programs. VA currently has eight comprehensive homeless centers connected to medical centers in Anchorage, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Dallas, Little Rock, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and West Los Angeles. Stand Downs are 1-3 day safe havens for homeless veterans that provide a variety of services and a positive means for VA and community-based homeless providers to reach more homeless veterans. Stand downs give homeless veterans a temporary place of safety and security where they can obtain food, shelter, clothing and a range of community and VA assistance. In many locations VA provides health screenings, referral and access to long-term treatments, benefits counseling, ID cards and linkage with other programs to meet their immediate needs. VA participated in 179 stand downs run by local coalitions in various cities in calendar year 2000. Surveys show that more than 34,000 veterans and family attended these events held in 47 states and the District of Columbia. More than 20,000 volunteers contributed to this effort. VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program The Grant and Per Diem program is offered annually (as funding permits) by the VA to fund community-based agencies providing transitional housing or service centers for homeless veterans. Under the Capital Grant Component VA may fund up to 65% of the project for the construction, acquisition, or renovation of facilities or to purchase van(s) to provide outreach and services to homeless veterans. Per Diem is available to grantees to help off-set operational expenses. Non-Grant programs may apply for Per Diem under a separate announcement, when published in the Federal Register, announcing the funding for "Per Diem Only." Total VA funding for grants has exceeded $53 million. When these projects are completed, approximately 5,000 new community-based beds will be available for homeless veterans. Nearly 2,500 homeless veterans are being cared for through these programs today and supported by VA per diem payments to service providers. Mainstream VA Programs Assisting Homeless Veterans VA administers a number of compensation and pension programs: disability compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, death compensation, death pension and disability pension. Vocational rehabilitation and counseling assist veterans with service-connected disabilities to achieve independence in daily living and, to his extent possible, become employable and maintain employment. In the Fiduciary Program, the benefits of veterans determined to be incapable of managing their funds are managed by a guardian. Inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse services are provided in some 8,400 mental health beds. Outpatient services are offered in mental health clinics, day-treatment centers, hospital day programs, and alcohol-and-drug-dependence treatment programs. VA also supports contract care in community-based facilities for veterans with substance-abuse disorders. Community Residential Care in private homes is provided to eligible veterans unable to live independently. Veterans receive social work services for discharge planning from VA inpatient care and are assisted with health maintenance planning. Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program Sixty-six new sites have been created which will increase outreach and expand treatment services to veterans who are homeless. Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program Created to assist homeless veterans improve mental health and obtain employment and stable housing, nine new CWT sites will provide a means for living independently and productively while minimizing reliance on institutional care. Homeless Women Veterans Program Eleven VA facilities will implement a specialized program that will focus on outreach, case management and community residential care for homeless women veterans and homeless women veterans with children. Therapeutic Employment Placement and Support (TEPS) Ten VA sites will implement a specialized program focusing on immediate permanent employment for homeless veterans who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Critical Time Intervention (CTI) Staff Training VA has funded 8 facilities to implement an intense but time limited case management program for hospitalized homeless veterans. Oral Health (Dental) Care for Homeless Veterans VA has provided funding to 10 VA facilities to implement an oral health care (dental) program for homeless veterans engaged in rehabilitation. Services will be provided through contracts with community based dental care programs. Outreach to Seriously Mentally III Homeless Veterans VA will support outreach to some of our nation's hardest to reach homeless veterans at five sites. For more information please contact VA's Homeless Veterans Programs Office at 202-273-5764 or e-mail VA at homelessvets@mail.va.gov AmeriCorps As part of the national VA effort to help homeless veterans, helping homeless veterans may benefit selected students. Working with VA staff, eligible VA beneficiary-students may receive funds to help defray school and living expenses. If you are a veterans or a VA eligible beneficiary, attending school and receiving VA education assistance, you may be entitled to participate in this work-for-pay program authorized through the VA Work-Study in this work-for-pay program authorized through the VA Work-Study-Allowance Program and the AmeriCorps Education Awards. Loan Guarantee Program for Homeless Veterans Multifamily Housing This new initiative authorizes VA to guarantee no more than 15 loans with an aggregate value of $100 million within 5 years for construction, renovation of existing property, and refinancing of existing loans, facility furnishing or working capital. No more than 5 loans may be guaranteed under this program prior to November 11, 2001. The amount financed is a maximum of 90% of project costs. Legislation allows the Secretary to issue a loan guarantee for large-scale self-sustaining multifamily loans. Eligible transitional project are those that: 1) Provide supportive services including job counseling; 2) Require veteran to seek and maintain employment; 3) Require veteran to pay reasonable rent; 4) Require sobriety as a condition of occupancy; and 5) Serves other veterans in need of housing on a space available basis. Veterans Industries In VA's Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Residence (CWT/TD) Program, disadvantaged, at-risk, and homeless veterans live in CWT/TR community-based supervised group homes while working for pay in VA's compensated Work Therapy Program (also known as Veterans Industries). Veterans in the CWT/TR program work about 33 hours per week, with approximate earnings of $732 per month, and pay average of $186 per month, toward maintenance and up-keep of the residence. The average length of stay is about 174 days. VA contracts with private industry and the public sector for work done by these veterans, who lean new job skills, relearn successful work habits, and regain a sense of self-esteem and self-worth. CHALENG The Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education, and Networking Groups (CHALENG) for veterans is a nationwide initiative in which VA medical center and regional office directors work with other federal, state, and local agencies and non-profit organizations to assess the needs of homeless veterans, develop action plans to meet identified needs, and develop directories that contain local community resources to be used by homeless veterans. More than 10,000 representatives from non-VA organizations have participated in Project CHALENG initiatives, which include holding conferences at VA medical centers to raise awareness of the needs of homeless veterans, creating new partnerships in the flight against homelessness, and developing new strategies for future action. HUD-VASH This joint Supported Housing Program with the Department of Housing and Urban Development provides permanent housing and ongoing treatment services to the harder-to-serve homeless mentally ill veterans and those suffering from substance abuse disorders. HUD's Section 8 Voucher Program has designated 1,780 vouchers worth $44.5 million for homeless chronically mentally ill veterans. VA staff at 35 sites provide outreach, clinical care and ongoing case management services. Rigorous evaluation of this program indicates that this approach significantly reduces days of homelessness for veterans plagued by serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Supported Housing Like the HUD-VASH program identified above, staff in VA's Supported Housing Program provides ongoing case management services to homeless veterans. Emphasis is placed on helping veterans find permanent housing and providing clinical support needed to keep veterans in permanent housing. Staff in these programs operate without benefit of the specially dedicated Section 8 housing vouchers available in the HUD-VASH program but are often successful in locating transitional or permanent housing through local means, especially by collaborating with Veterans Service Organizations. SSA-VA Outreach In this pilot project with the Social Security Administration, HCMI and Homeless Domiciliary staff coordinate outreach and benefits certification with SSA staff to increase the number of veterans receiving SSA benefits and otherwise assist in their rehabilitation. In this demonstration project, both applications and benefits awards increased significantly and the time to process applications has decreased dramatically. Comprehensive Homeless Centers VA's Comprehensive Homeless Centers (CHC's) place the full range of VA homeless efforts in a single medical center's attachment area and coordinate administration a centralized framework. With extensive collaboration among non-VA service providers, VA's CHC's in Anchorage, AK; Brooklyn, NY; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Little Rock, AR; Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; and West Los Angles, CA, provide a comprehensive continuum of care that reaches out to homeless veterans and helps them escape homelessness. VBA-VHA Special Outreach and Benefits Assistance VHA has provided specialized funding to support twelve Veterans Benefits Counselors as members of HCMI and Homeless Domiciliary Programs as authorized by Public Law 102-590. These specially funded staff provide dedicated outreach, benefits counselor referral, and additional assistance to eligible veterans applying for VA benefits. This specially funded initiative complements VBA's ongoing efforts to target homeless veterans for special attention. To reach more homeless veterans, designated homeless veterans coordinators at VBA's 58 regional offices annually make over 4,700 visits to homeless facilities and over 9,000 contacts with non-VA agencies working with the homeless and provide over 24,000 homeless veterans with benefits counseling and referrals to other VA programs. These special outreach efforts are assumed as part of the ongoing duties and responsibilities. VBA has also instituted new procedures to reduce the processing times for homeless veterans' benefits claims. VBA's Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers This program makes all the properties VA obtain through foreclosures on VA insured mortgages available for sale to homeless provider organizations at a discount of 20 to 50 percent, depending on time of the market. VA Excess Property for Homeless Veterans Initiative This initiative provides for the distribution of federal excess personal property, such as hats, parkas, footwear, socks, sleeping bags, and other items to homeless veterans and homeless veteran programs. A compensated Work Therapy Program employing formerly homeless veterans has been established at the Medical Center in Lyons, NJ to receive, warehouse, and ship these goods to VA homeless programs across the country. Program Monitoring and Evaluation VA has built program monitoring and evaluations into all of its homeless veterans' treatment initiatives and it serves as an integral component of each program. Designed, implemented, and maintained by the Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) at VAMC West Haven, CT, these evaluation efforts provide important information about the veterans served and the therapeutic value and cost effectiveness of the specialized programs. Information from these evaluations also helps program mangers determine new directions to pursue in order to expand and improve services to homeless veterans.

Directory of Homeless & Housing Advocacy Coalitions Pending formulation

Directory of Local Homeless Service Organizations Pending formulation

Stand Downs Stand Downs are 1-3 day safe havens for homeless veterans that provide a variety of services and a positive means for VA and community-based homeless providers to reach more homeless veterans. Stand downs give homeless veterans a temporary place of safety and security where they can obtain food, shelter, clothing and a range of community and VA assistance. In many locations VA provides health screenings, referral and access to long-term treatments, benefits counseling, ID cards and linkage with other programs to meet their immediate needs. VA participated in 179 stand downs run by local coalitions in various cities in calendar year 2000. Surveys show that more than 34,000 veterans and family attended these events held in 47 states and the District of Columbia. More than 20,000 volunteers contributed to this effort. What is the history of Stand Down? The concept of Stand Down, as related specifically to the homeless veteran crisis, was the brainchild of two Vietnam Veterans, Robert Van Keuren and Dr. John Nachison. The first Stand Down was held in San Diego during the summer of 1988. The popularity of the event has steadily grown from the original in 1988 to some 80 yearly throughout the nation. It is estimated that as many as 100,000 homeless veterans have received assistance at Stand Downs. Who organizes and delivers these services? Hundreds of caring volunteers and professional give of their time and expertise to address the unique needs of homeless veterans. Committees formed specifically to put on the event stage most Stand Downs. Veteran service organizations, National Guard and Reserve Units, homeless shelter programs, health care providers, US Department of Veterans Affairs and labor staffs, veteran-helping-veteran programs, and concerned citizens from the community organize and stage the events. Where are Stand Downs held? Stand Downs most often occur over a two or three day period, although there have been a handful of one day events. Some are held indoors, but the majorities are held on football fields, parks, or other wide-open spaces. What does it take to stage a Stand Down? There is no specific formula to plan and hold a Stand Down. In fact, each community adds its own uniqueness to a Stand Down. Some offer basic services, while others offer more by including entertainment and cultural activities in the agenda. Some Stand Downs are re-created to follow a regimented, military-style program, which is familiar and comforting to the veterans, and yet others create an atmosphere of empowerment to the extent of electing officers among the homeless veterans. All it really takes for a community to organize a Stand Down is a group of dedicated volunteers committed to assisting homeless veterans improve their situation. VA Assistance to Stand Downs VA programs and staff have actively participated in each of the Stand Downs for Homeless Veterans run by local coalitions in various cities each year. In wartime Stand Downs, front line troops are removed to a place of relative safety for rest and needed assistance before returning to combat. Similarly, peacetime Stand Downs give homeless veterans 1-3 days of safety and security where they can obtain food, shelter, clothing, and a range of other types of assistance, including VA provided health care benefits certification, and linkages with other programs.