Homeless Veteran Service Providers > Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center
Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center
HVRP Strengthens Extensive Integrated Services Network
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:
Goal Actual % of Goal
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%
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