Homeless Veteran Service Providers > New Directions Inc.
New Directions Inc.
NDI Combines Drug Treatment With Innovative Job Training Program
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
Goal Actual % of Goal
Program Enrollments 95 98 103%
Vocational Assessments 120 126 105%
Educational Assessments 95 98 103%
Employment Placement 63 86 136%
Permanent housing placement 20 26 130%
Attended computer training 95 98 103%
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.
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