12/12/2003
Statement of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
on the 2003 Annual Report of the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans
¦ Submitted to the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans
and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
December 2003
(Continued)
17. Veterans Incarcerated
ACHV Recommendations: Work with prisons to assure that service-connected veterans who are scheduled for release from prison are aware of their obligation to notify the VA of their release so that benefits will be restored; and initiate pre-release procedures early enough for veterans to obtain presumptive approval of benefit restoration. (VA Response: VA participates in the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative; VA is considering modifying its termination/reduction letter to inform the veteran incarcerated of steps they must take to resume benefits upon their release.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. We urge the Committee to press VA to take even more aggressive steps than those it describes in its response. For example, the Committee may wish to recommend that VBA staff make routine visits to all federal and state prisons (rather than just those facilities participating in the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative) to make veterans incarcerated aware of their benefit resumption rights and responsibilities, or contract out (with funding attached) this responsibility to veteran services organizations and nonprofit homeless veteran service providers. Also, the Committee may wish to request the VA to record the projected release dates of veterans incarcerated and mail computer-generated letters to them reminding them of their rights to seek benefit resumption close to their release dates (rather than mailing a letter with this information upon entry into prison).
We urge the Committee to recommend to the Secretary that he provide funding for a pre-release program whereby community-based organizations serving homeless and other veterans would be contracted to provide pre-release counseling to veterans incarcerated.
We also note for the Committee’s information that NCHV, with U.S. Department of Labor funds, is developing a brochure to inform incarcerated veterans of services in the community that are available to them upon release. NCHV would welcome VA’s assistance in distributing the forthcoming brochure throughout the VA system and to federal and state prisons.
18. Coordination of VA Homeless Efforts
ACHV Recommendations: Establish the Office of Homeless Veterans Programs at a senior level, with a director reporting directly to the Secretary and serving as principal advisor to the Secretary; assign the Director responsibility over all homeless veterans programs. (VA Response: VA efforts to assist homeless veterans are coordinated through the Director of Homeless Veterans Programs.)
NCHV Response: NCHV is satisfied with the current location, structure, duties and management of the Office of Homeless Veterans Programs. We do not see the need for any further action on this recommendation.
19. Chronic Homelessness Plan
ACHV Recommendation: Develop a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness. (VA Response: A 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness under development.)
NCHV Response: NCHV requests the Committee to recommend that the VA enlarge the scope of its forthcoming plan to end all homelessness among veterans, not solely chronic homelessness. NCHV’s Board of Directors has adopted a statement on long-term homelessness that calls on the public and private sectors to work to end homelessness among all persons, not solely those persons without housing for long periods of time and who also have disabling conditions (copy attached). NCHV will be submitting recommendations to the Secretary regarding VA’s 10-year homelessness plan in the near future. We will share those recommendations with the Committee.
20. Interagency Council on Homelessness
ACHV Recommendation: Ensure interaction between VA homelessness staff (at all levels of the VA system), Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) staff, and state ICH staff. (VA Response: Interaction has been taking place between VA and ICH at all levels.)
NCHV Response: NCHV appreciates the Committee’s continued monitoring to ensure healthy relationships between ICH and VA at all levels.
ACHV Recommendation: ICH should hold federal inter-agency training workshops on resource development and capacity-building. (VA Response: Referred to ICH.)
NCHV Response: NCHV does not believe limited ICH resources need to be directed to training for nonprofit organizations on resource development. NCHV’s homeless veteran service provider technical assistance center provides this service.
ACHV Recommendation: ICH should establish a veteran’s footprint in state and local homeless strategies. (VA Response: Referred to ICH.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. To the extent that ICH has influence over the content of state and local homelessness plans, it should encourage those units of government to include strategies specific to homeless veterans.
ACHV Recommendation: ICH should become an ex-officio member of the ACHV. (VA Response: Requires statutory change, but ICH will be invited to attend.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. In the interim, we are pleased that the Committee will be inviting ICH to attend its meetings.
21. HUD Continuum of Care Funding
ACHV Recommendation: HUD should collect veteran-specific data through the Homeless Management Information System. (VA Response: Referred to HUD.)
NCHV Response: NCHV recommends that the Committee request that the ex-officio representative from HUD ensure that HMIS includes data elements regarding military service. The ex-officio representative should also ensure the coordination/integration of HMIS and management information systems required of GPD and Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) grantees. It is important that homeless service providers receiving funds from multiple sources have a unified management information system so as to reduce redundancy and duplication of data management efforts.
ACHV Recommendation: HUD should identify veterans as a special needs population for McKinney-Vento funding. (VA Response: Referred to HUD.)
NCHV Response: Given HUD’s resistance to instruct continuum of care applicants to prioritize housing and services for homeless veterans over housing and services for other subgroups, NCHV believes the next most prudent course of action that continuum of care applicants could take on behalf of homeless veterans is to include homeless veteran-specific plans within their applications. These veteran plans would need to inventory existing and proposed targeted homeless veteran programs in the service area; address how homeless assistance providers will screen services users for military service experience; and describe processes for referring homeless veterans to VA or nonprofit homeless veteran service providers in the service area (if any exist). We request the Committee to join us in pressing HUD to add this additional component to the continuum of care planning and funding process.
ACHV Recommendation: HUD should include veteran-specific groups in local continuum of care planning bodies. (VA Response: Referred to HUD.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. The term “veteran-specific groups” should be interpreted to include both VA itself and nonprofit homeless veteran service providers.
22. Linking CHALENG to Continuum of Care
ACHV Recommendation: HUD and VA should determine feasibility of incorporating Community Homelessness Assessment Local Education and Networking Groups (CHALENG) information into continuum of care planning processes. (VA Response: Referred to HUD. VA and HUD staff members are meeting to explore linkages between CHALENG and the continuum of care.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. We believe the information that results from CHALENG processes should be utilized for informing homeless assistance continua of care planning bodies about the numbers, characteristics, and services needs of homeless veterans.
23. Policy Academy
ACHV Recommendation: Continue to participate in policy academies. (VA Response: VA will continue to participate in policy academies.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. While VA has a special role to play in policy academies on chronic homelessness, the department should not be absent from policy academies on family homelessness, as the homeless veteran service provider field is reporting increased numbers of veterans with families who are experiencing homelessness.
ACHV Recommendation: Ensure state veteran agency participation in policy academy teams. (VA Response: Team composition is at the discretion of the state.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. The VA should counsel states planning to participate in policy academies to include a senior leader from the state veteran affairs agency. Many such agencies provide direct services to homeless veterans or contract with nonprofit homeless veteran service providers. In addition, these agencies play vital roles in assisting veterans in their states in accessing benefits and services for which they are eligible.
24. Transition from Military Service
ACHV Recommendations: Join in interagency prevention strategy with the Department of Defense to improve assessment of homelessness risk and linkages to homelessness prevention services to persons transitioning from military service; conduct research study on linkage of childhood risk factors and active duty experiences to homelessness risk. (VA Response: Most service members participate in joint DOD-DOL-VA Transition Assistance Program.)
NCHV Response: NCHV urges the Committee to recommend to the VA, DOL, and DOD that the Administration communicate to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees its endorsement of H.R. 1906, the Servicemembers' Transition Assistance Program and Services Enhancement Act of 2003. In addition, NCHV urges the Committee to recommend to the ex-officio representative from DOL that he advise the Secretary of Labor to include a homelessness component (focused on assessing one’s risk factors for homelessness and how to identify resources in the community to prevent homelessness) in the Department’s Transition Assistance Plan (TAP) curriculum.
25. DOD Properties
ACHV Recommendation: DOD should develop an outreach plan to alert homeless veteran service providers to suitable and available facilities for homeless purposes. (VA Response: Referred to DOD).
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. We urge the Committee to request the ex-officio representative from DOD to advise the Secretary of Defense to take identical actions related to capital assets as NCHV has recommended to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (see “#5—CARES).
26. WIA Reauthorization
ACHV Recommendation: Amend WIA to reward states that provide specific programs for assisting homeless people, including homeless veterans, with performance incentive monies. (VA Response: Referred to DOL).
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. We urge the Committee to request the ex-officio representative from DOL to advise the Secretary of Labor to explore and take actions not requiring statutory change to grant preference or priority for homeless persons in WIA-funded programs and services, or to provide incentives for WIA-funded programs and services to enroll homeless persons. Also, we urge the Committee to request the ex-officio representative to request funding for the Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) at a level of at least $20 million annually. VWIP provides competitive grants to states geared toward training and employment opportunities for veterans with service-connected disabilities, those with significant barriers to employment (such as homelessness), and recently separated veterans.
27. Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program Partnership
ACHV Recommendation: Evaluate incarcerated veterans transition demonstration projects, and expand funding if proven successful. (VA Response: Pilot projects just beginning.)
NCHV Response: See response to No.17 above, “Incarcerated Veterans.”
28. DVOP/LVER Outreach to Homeless Veterans
ACHV Recommendation: DOL should use incentive monies to reward Disabled Veteran Outreach Programs (DVOPs) and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs) to actively outreach to and assist homeless veterans in becoming job ready and finding good jobs. (VA Response: Refer to DOL.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. We note that we are developing a brochure to guide DVOPs and LVERs on steps to take for guiding homeless veterans with whom they interact to appropriate opportunities and support services. Further, we urge the Committee to request the ex-officio representative from DOL to advise the Secretary of Labor to outstation DVOPs and LVERs in locations serviced by nonprofit homeless veteran service providers.
29. Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program
ACHV Recommendation: Request Congress to fund HVRP at $50 million. (VA Response: Referred to DOL.)
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. Further, we urge the Committee to request the ex-officio representative from DOL to recommend to the Secretary of Labor to include the full authorization level for HVRP in the Department’s budget submission to the Administration. In addition, we alert the Committee to our continued opposition to transferring administration of HVRP from DOL to VA, and urge it to join us in opposing a move.
30. HHS Funding for Homeless Veteran Service Providers
ACHV Recommendation: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should collect veteran-specific data in all HHS programs. (VA Response: Referred to HHS).
NCHV Response: NCHV concurs with the recommendation. We suggest that HHS begin to implement the collection of veteran-specific data in HHS’s health programs.
ACHV Recommendation: HHS should develop pilot programs designed to enhance services for homeless veterans provided by veteran-specific service providers. (VA Response: Referred to HHS.)
NCHV Response: NCHV dissents from the recommendation. Our assessment is that HHS would likely be resistant to establishing its own targeted homeless veteran health care program, given that the VA has the primary responsibility of addressing the health care needs of homeless veterans, and has established targeted programs within the VHA to do so. At the same time, we recognize that VA is not currently serving all homeless veterans, and likely never will. Thus, we believe HHS should work to ensure that homeless veterans are invited to participate in HHS’s existing mainstream and targeted programs. Further, we believe HHS should provide assistance to homeless veteran service providers in making them aware of and assisting them in competing for funding through existing mainstream and targeted homeless programs. We would be pleased to utilize our homeless veteran service provider technical assistance center to assist HHS in disseminating information about its grant and cooperative agreement opportunities.
Conclusion
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans is eager to work with the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs in implementing the recommendations enumerated above. We look forward to continued dialogue and partnership with ACHV and the Department.
back to top
|
