Homeless Veteran Service Providers > American GI Forum–San Antonio
American GI Forum–San Antonio
Outreach and Diversity Define AGIF-San Antonio HVRP Program
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:
Goal Actual % of Goal
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.
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