Homeless Veteran Service Providers > Salvation Army Rochester
Salvation Army Rochester
HVRP Program Won’t Let Veterans Fail
For many years, The Salvation Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs – through the Canandaigua VA Medical Center and the VA Rochester Outplacement Clinic – have worked with several public and private agencies to coordinate a continuum of care with supportive services tailored for homeless veterans. Under a program called Project ReDirect, homeless veterans in central New York are provided with the vital services they need to regain their place in society as productive citizens, including employment preparation and job placement assistance.
The program began in October 1997, and $142,385 in funding through the Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) greatly enhanced the organization's program success in July 2001. In July 2003, a second grant of $163, 437 was awarded by DOL-VETS.
The HVRP program has helped opened the door to a host of collaboration opportunities with a broad range of public and private health and human service providers, and has resulted in increased funding for the organization's homeless assistance programs. For example, the Salvation Army obtained Department of Labor Veterans Workforce Investment Program (VWIP) funding in 2002 for a job training and employment program to help veterans transition from incarceration, and now provides routine outreach to veterans at the Monroe County Jail and a New York state prison. Staff say HVRP funding was instrumental in the creation of seven additional transitional housing beds in 2003, and helped in the Salvation Army's bid to purchase two new vans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program.
The Salvation Army HVRP program provides outreach, pre-enrollment services, client assessments, employment development training, core training activities, job placement assistance, follow-up counseling and ongoing supportive services to all homeless people. In addition, the HVRP program provides the following support to its homeless veteran clients:
- A three-month, intensive employment preparation training (EPT) program in a classroom setting, which reorients participants to the workforce by developing and refining general readiness skills. The multi-discipline, long-term training gives the veteran the opportunity to address in-depth personal barriers to successful employment. The program helps the veteran develop critical skills such as punctuality, dependability, dressing appropriately, leaving personal problems at home, willingness to take direction and getting along with co-workers.
- Comprehensive, continuous supportive services which are critical in helping homeless veterans enter the workforce, maintain employment, and forge stability in their lives. The extensive network of the Salvation Army, the VA and other community agencies offers services to support the whole person – emotionally, physically and economically. The "wraparound" supportive services provide veterans with free daily lunches at the Salvation Army's cafeteria, free work clothing, and essential items like calculators, dictionaries and alarm clocks. Other available services include rent and mortgage assistance, other housing programs, health services and substance abuse counseling.
- Other employment-related services include money for clothing, business attire, medical and dental assistance, transportation, fees for licensing tests, driver's license, personal hygiene items, laundry supplies and haircuts.
The HVRP program has been able to expand available services through collaboration with several public and private health and human services providers, including:
- Department of Labor-Veterans' Employment and Training Service
- VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York (VISN2)
- New York State Department of Labor
- New York State Division of Veterans Affairs
- Rochester Works! One Stop Career Center
- Veterans Outreach Center
- Unity Health Systems.
Several factors contribute to the overall success of the Salvation Army HVRP program. The connection to the national organization's large infrastructure and ability to leverage community resources has allowed it to improve and expand its programs. Homeless veterans enrolled in the program can take advantage of job training and employment placement services, and a wide variety of other free services offered onsite at the Salvation Army's downtown Rochester campus. These services include food, clothing, prescription assistance, emergency and transitional shelter in one of four homeless adult residences, medical and mental health services at a Unity Health System clinic, GED preparation and self-directed classes, software assisted Adult Basic Education courses, and tutoring.
Through the companion program Project ReDirect, the Salvation Army is able to provide long-term follow-up and supportive case management to HVRP participants for up to four years. Since the Salvation Army is a faith-based organization, clients are able to participate in a worship community if they wish, and receive regular spiritual counseling.
During last year, the HVRP program exceeded its targeted goals despite the poor economy. Clients were able to obtain employment in diverse job areas due to the coordination of numerous community partners.
The Salvation Army feels that the benefits derived from close collaboration with many organizations representing diverse disciplines and strengths cannot be overemphasized. The HVRP program is considered a "one-stop-shop" for veteran support services. Within the Salvation Army's downtown facility, HVRP clients are offered a safe haven at the Booth Haven Men's and Hope House Women's shelters. Each veteran is assigned a case manager who works with a team of stakeholders to help veterans find stability through securing permanent, and in many cases, subsidized housing.
Veterans benefit from the services of a mental/chemical dependency counselor who is on staff and available any time the need arises. In addition, all veterans are assigned a case manager/outreach worker who is also a veteran. Various support groups are available for residents, one of which is a veteran support group co-facilitated by a veteran peer. Clients are assigned to a job developer who helps them secure employment.
The program helps veterans retain employment with follow-up support for a minimum of 180 days after their placement. The HVRP program offers support services to participants for up to four years, allowing them to re-enroll in the HVRP program if they experience difficulties once they have entered the workforce. If a veteran needs services the Salvation Army does not offer, he or she is referred to an outreach center or other community-based organization for those services.
HVRP Program Outcomes – 2003:
Goal Actual % of Goal
Total Program Enrollments 80 108 135%
Vocational Assessments 80 95 119%
Educational Assessments 12 15 125%
Employment Placement 70 70 100%
Permanent housing placement 48 67 140%
Average wage at job placement $7.70 $8.11 105%
The Salvation Army Rochester Area Services provides a holistic approach to serving homeless Veterans in the Rochester Area through an expansive collaborative network. Veterans are able to get the services they need free of charge and begin their progress toward a new life.
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