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Welcome to The Veterans Disability Nexus, where we provide unique insights and expertise on medical evidence related to VA-rated disabilities. Leah Bucholz, a US Army Veteran, Physician Assistant, & former Compensation & Pension Examiner shares her knowledge related to Independent Medical Opinions often referred to as “Nexus Letters” in support of your pursuit of VA Disability every Tuesday & Wednesday at 7AM Central.
Take control of your medical evidence related to your benefits and visit https://podcast.prestigeveteranmctx.info/veteran/ for more information and to connect directly with us!
Hey guys, it's Leah B from Prestige Veteran Medical Consulting. I am a US Army veteran physician assistant and former compensation and pension examiner. So welcome to our channel where we break down VA programs benefits and support systems to help you and your family thrive. I am Leah Buchholz and today we're going to talk about something close to the heart and vital to our communities and that is the homeless veterans program. So this episode is going to walk you through the program the VA and partner organizations have in place to address homelessness among veterans.
Leah bucholz:So from emergency housing to mental health care to employment support and long term stability. So you may not be homeless but you may have a loved one, a battle buddy, a family member that has or perpetually suffers from being homeless or in and out of homelessness. So today we're gonna talk about understanding the scope of veteran homelessness, key VA programs addressing housing and homelessness, mental health and substance abuse and use support services, employment and job training opportunities, and access points how and where veterans can get help. So community and nonprofit partnerships that make a difference. So let's start why this issue matters.
Leah bucholz:So the reality of veteran homelessness is that veterans make up about 6% of The U. S. Adult population but they've historically been overrepresented in the homeless population. While progress has been made on any given night, tens of thousands of veterans experience homelessness. So some common contributing factors include unaddressed mental health issues, that's a huge one, right?
Leah bucholz:Substance abuse disorders, lack of affordable housing, unemployment or underemployment, social isolation after discharge. A lot of us have really close knit relationships while in active duty. And I'm sure many of you guys can kind of understand this that there's really no other relationship like kind of growing up with your battle buddies in your platoon and your squad, company, battalion, whatever. Those buddies that are right next to you day in and day out, whether that's working in the motor pool, being deployed, being at the range, being on a detail, whatever those relationships and bonds that you create are so hard to reproduce once you've separated. It's just really difficult to do that.
Leah bucholz:But I personally have found it to be very difficult. And when I started doing martial arts, which I still do, I have a lot of aches and pains, but I try to do that. I've sort of begun to develop some of those relationships again because we're growing up together and doing things together and having adversity. Regularly in the civilian world it's hard to find those types of relationships, right? So the VA has made ending veteran homelessness a top priority and that brings us to the programs available right now.
Leah bucholz:So housing first, VA programs that get vets off the street. So the VA and its partners operate on a housing first model meaning safe stable housing is the first step towards recovery and reintegration. So some key VA programs include HUD VASH, Housing and Urban Development VA Support Housing. This combines rental assistance vouchers from HUD with case management and clinical services from the VA. This serves veterans with serious mental health issues, substance use disorders, or other challenges.
Leah bucholz:Grant and per diem or the GPD program funds community agencies that provide transitional housing and supportive services. Veterans can stay while receiving help with employment, mental health, and long term housing planning. HCHV or healthcare for homeless veterans. This helps connect homeless veterans with temporary housing, VA healthcare and case management. SSVF or supportive services for veteran families, a prevention and rapid rehousing program that helps at risk veterans and their families stay in or find permanent housing.
Leah bucholz:All of these are designed to not just house veterans but to help support them in staying housed. So mental health and substance use support. So many veterans experiencing homelessness also are battling mental illness or addiction. The VA offers robust behavioral health services. So VA mental health clinics provide therapy, medication, and case management, substance use disorders programs or offer inpatient, outpatient, and detox support.
Leah bucholz:I actually worked for a number of years at a wonderful place called Warrior's Heart that's here in kind of in my area it's in Bandera, Texas and they actually have another location in Virginia which is wonderful and they really cater to veterans and first responders. And I mean it's just wonderful that the things that they can do and they take VA referrals so if you just have VA care if you're suffering from substance abuse disorder mental health conditions that's a great place. There's other places in the I think it's called the Warriors Health Alliance that looks at different kind of locations that are in network with VA. So peer support specialists, veterans who have experienced recovery and now help others navigate their path. Suicide prevention coordinators are available at every VA medical center.
Leah bucholz:These services are integrated into housing programs making sure veterans don't have to fix everything before they get a place to live. So employment and job training opportunities. So stable housing is step one. So step two is going to be purpose and income. That's where VA employment programs can come in.
Leah bucholz:So VA employment support includes things like compensated work therapy or CWT, transitional work and training at VA facilities, vocational rehab and employment or VR and E for veterans with service connected disabilities who want to return to work or school. I'm going to do a video specifically on VR and E sometime in the future. Think that should be super helpful. So homeless veterans community employment services or HVCES are specialists who connect veterans to real world employment through job fairs, resume support, employer outreach. So veterans in VA housing programs often receive priority placement in these employment tracks, which is fantastic.
Leah bucholz:So access points. So how can you get help? If you or someone that you know is a veteran, that is a veteran is experiencing homelessness or at risk, the VA provides multiple access points. So there's a national call center for homeless veterans and that number is 77 the number 4 slash or dash vet so 702-0838. VA medical centers you can ask for the homeless veterans coordinator.
Leah bucholz:Vet centers can assist with counseling and community resources, SSVF grantee agencies found in most major cities. That HUD VASH case management typically located throughout the VA or local housing authorities. No matter where a veteran is in their journey, there is a path back to housing, health, and hope. So community partnerships can definitely save lives. So the VA doesn't work alone.
Leah bucholz:Thousands of nonprofits, faith based groups, and local agencies support homeless veterans through shelters, food pantries, clothing banks, case management. Some examples include things like Volunteers of America, the Salvation Army, veteran services, community resources and referral centers or CRRCs, local continuum of care organizations. Together these partnerships can help reduce gaps and ensure that no veteran is left behind. So homelessness is not a character flaw it's a solvable problem and for veterans the solution is already in motion. If you're struggling or know a veteran who is help exists whether it's housing through, hud VASH, therapy at a VA clinic, or job training through CWT, there's a way forward.
Leah bucholz:So, again I hope this video was helpful to you guys. I personally have a family member who was is a veteran that struggled with homelessness and they used a lot of different VA resources received VA disability, received some help with their mental health conditions, used the voc rehab and now they're thriving and doing well went back to school. And so I'm really grateful for those resources that were provided to that veteran. So please drop some comments I hope this was helpful to you guys and if there's some other videos like this that you'd like to hear about or see again I'm going to do that voc rehab video at some point let me know definitely drop those comments so thanks again for watching and I'll talk to you guys soon