VA Announces Homeless Program Per Diem Awards

[CAS3]

VA Announces Homeless Program Per Diem Awards

WASHINGTON (Aug. 6, 2003) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today
identified recipients of up to $8 million in per diem awards as part of VA's
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. Recipients are community and
faith-based organizations, as well as state and local governments that
provide critical services to homeless veterans.

"President Bush is committed to ending chronic homelessness in America in 10
years and these awards will further the President's commitment," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.

The 44 separate awards just announced will help offset the operating
expenses of existing programs that provide supported housing or services for
homeless veterans in 25 states. The awardees were selected in a competitive
process from approximately 150 applications. VA provides separate grants
for capital projects involving new construction or renovation of existing
facilities.

Seven awards were to providers in five states VA had targeted as areas where
homeless veterans' needs are most underserved. The selected programs are
located in Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

Although VA did not receive any applications from programs affiliated with
Indian tribal governments -- also one of VA's targeted groups -- several
awardees do provide service to Native American veterans.

The selected programs will receive up to $26.95 per day for each eligible
veteran provided care. Approximately 30 percent of the award recipients are
faith-based providers. A complete listing of award recipients and the
locations where homeless veterans receive services is provided below.

In addition to the grant and per diem program, VA administers special health
care assistance programs that offer clinical outreach, case management and
rehabilitation programs for homeless veterans and conducts outreach to
provide benefits counseling and referrals to other VA programs.

In the past nine years, VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program
has awarded nearly 315 grants totaling $63 million to public and nonprofit
groups to establish transitional housing and service centers and to purchase
vans to provide transportation to services and employment for homeless
veterans. The entire program has awarded grants to organizations in 48
states and the District of Columbia. With the addition of this per diem
award, the program now supports nearly 7,000 beds that are available to
homeless veterans.

"VA's homeless program awards make a real difference in the lives of
thousands of homeless veterans each year," said Principi, "but we will not
rest until the President's goal of ending chronic homelessness is achieved."

More information about VA's Homeless Assistance Programs and Initiatives can
be found at http://www.va.gov/homeless on the Internet.

2003 Per Diem Only Award Selectees
State City Agency
Ark. Little Rock Recovery Centers of Arkansas
Calif. Bakersfield Veterans Assistance Foundation, Inc.
Lathrop Native Directions, Inc.
Los Angeles P.A.T.H.
San Diego St. Vincent de Paul Village
Conn. New Britain Friendship Service Center of New Britain
Torrington Torrington Chapter of FISH, Inc.
Fla. Lauderhill Yettie's Outreach and Development
Corporation
Miami Volunteers of America of Florida,
Inc.
Idaho Coeur d'Alene Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the City of Coeur
d'Alene
Ill. Galesburg Goodwill Industries of Central Ill.,
Inc.
Hebron Transitional Living Services Inc.
Ind. Indianapolis Volunteers of America of Indiana, Inc.
Kan. Kansas City The Salvation Army
Ky. Louisville Interlink Counseling Services, Inc.
Louisville Society of St. Vincent de Paul
La. Harvey Gateway Foundation, Inc.
Mass. Leeds United Veterans of America
Worcester Massachusetts Veterans, Inc.
Md. Baltimore Maryland Center for Veterans
Education and Training, Inc.
Minn. Minneapolis Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans
Mo. St. Joseph Salvation Army, Inc.
Mont. Kalispell Northwest Montana Veterans Stand Down
N.C. Asheville Asheville Buncombe Community
Christian Ministry, Inc.
Burlington Residential Treatment Services of
Alamance, Inc.
Charlotte Family Forum, Inc. (d.b.a.
"Charlottetown Manor")
Raleigh Wake County Human Services
N.H. Manchester Liberty House Shelter, Inc.
Nashua Harbor Homes, Inc.
N.Y. Menands Altamont Program, Inc.
Newburgh Volunteers of America, Greater NY
Rochester The Salvation Army, Rochester NY
Syracuse Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse
Ohio Cincinnati Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries
Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
Cincinnati Joseph House, Inc.
Okla. Oklahoma City North Oklahoma County Mental Health Center, Inc.
Oklahoma City Phoenix Recovery Institute
Pa. Philadelphia Fresh Start Foundation
Tenn. Knoxville Steps House, Inc
Nashville Matthew 25, Inc.
Wash. Spokane REM Association
Wis. Ft. McCoy Wisconsin Department of Veterans
Affairs
Wyo. Cheyenne Southeast Wyoming Mental Health
Center
Sheridan Volunteers of America Wyoming
# # #

[greensideout]

Here we go creating a new welfare system.

Most chose to be bums, hobos and whatever you choose to call the vets on the street. Most don't want to work. Neither do I but I like working for the things I have more then mouching an existence from others that do. We have always had bums, now we are going to pay them to be bums?!!!

I'm not PC on this? No S***!

What ever happened to "work programs"? You want to eat, you work! You want a bed, you work! You want to be warm or cool, you work! Everyone else does!

You might say, they need guideance. I agree, a swift kick in the butt might be a good start!

Offering handouts to continue being a bum is not an answer or cure, it's an enabler.

Semper Fi

[greensideout]

What is really going on here?

PRIVATIZATION OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES. That's what.

The VA is giving Per Diem Awards to private soup kitchens for those that they claim to feed. Heck, the "homeless" will probally sign up at many soup kitchens that will claim the per diem.

A "homeless" no-show, who will care? The money will be coming in.

(Kind of like the military no-show contractors in Iraq.)

[CAS3]

WELFARE SYSTEM?????
Veterans who are on a very fixed income already receive "pension". We,in the business, refer to this as veteran welfare. A vet has to haev no income to receive pension.
Regarding the homeless vets...come to DC, it is their choice to be homeless.
This program goes to the organizations to assist the veterans.
In it an outreach to vets to help wherever these private agencies can.

[JChristin]

There are many causes and effects producing homeless veterans. To group them all together into one soup bowl is inferior malfunctioning thinking.

Many homeless veterans decline assistance, perferring to sleep in doorways or in small homeless "communties" found under bushes alongside highways and freeways. Why? They have difficulty surrendering that one last human sense of dignity commonly associated with Pride. It's all they have left and althrough it may be viewed by some as "warped" thinking, declining help, in the veteran eye ( especially for the newly homeless vet ) it can be that last admission they may be incapable of making. The thinking logic being for many is, "this is just temporary, I'll be back to work real soon - I'm not like all these other homeless."

But then the vicious cycle of denial, that commenced its warm-up execises before they became homeless, rev's up its engine and they can't apply the brakes. For many, pride bolstered by their egos clouds their vision of the stark reality of their situation. For others, this wasn't an issue. Many sought to hold unto their jobs or were seeking employment right up to the moment they became homeless. Selling off their possessions in the process to keep a roof over their heads and a phone line open so they could look for work. With that failing, they accept their situation and become homeless.

Ever tried to send out a resume and not having the postage stamp to send it out? Let alone not having the paper to make a resume and an envelope in which to send it? Hand printed resumes really create an impression.

Ever tried to sending out a resume that didn't include a return address - because you didn't have one?

Ever show up to a job interview wearing clothes you slept in the night before, and the night before that and so on and so on? Really makes a stunning impression.

Is homelessness a choice? For some, not for everyone. Imagine meeting up with someone you went through boot with and you learn their homeless? Would you reach out in any manner to help? That is exactly my experience. I meet up with a woman who did go through boot with me, on the streets of Portland. It moved me enough to help others in that situation. I started to understand, and not in some "touching touching, feeling feeling" sort of way neither. I was enabled to place a human face, rather than a blank stare, on those who are homeless.

After visiting with CAS in DC, come on out west to Portland where the unemployment is currently at 8.8% and visit along the waterfront with me the homeless veteran. I know plenty of them. They are prefectly human.

semper fi,
jchristin

[thedrifter]

There are many reasons why there are so many Homeless Veterans..............Many Viet Nam Veterans cannot coupe with living in a civilized world and/or cannot stand civilians..............They need help, but many refuse it............There is always a job to be had, even if it is slinging hamburgers until you find what you want...........Too many expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter............If you want to get ahead, there is always a will and a way............If you want to be a Bum and collect hand-outs so be it...........I got where I am today by hard-work and going after what I wanted..........Nobody gave me anything for free..........Just like the Title Marine, I earned it.
"GOD BLESS AMERICA and THE UNITED STATES MARINES."



Sempers,

Roger

[Sparrowhawk]

I can't help but wonder...

A couple of years ago, the City of Riverside, Ca and our local veterans office announced how they were going to hold a veterans fair at the park for all homeless veterans.

They planned to supply them with food, clothing, and meet some of their medical needs. A sort of health fair for veterans. It was billed as such, with a lot of publicity.

On the day of the event, a Marine friend who had volunteered to work the event wrote down the actual number of homeless veterans that were helped. He had questioned them individually to determine the branch of service and units they were with.

At the end of the event the veteran’s office announced to the press that it had helped over 360 homeless Vietnam veterans.

But the Marine who was there had the actual number, 11 (eleven) were actual veterans, the others were just community people that were homeless. He told me and I called the press.

The newspaper was about to publish the figures the veterans office had given them. That over 360 homeless Vietnam veterans were helped until I revealed the truth. When the reporter double-checked it was worst then that. Only one or two were actual homeless Vietnam veterans and that was on their own choosing. According to the official documents the veterans office finally released the others were homeless and needy civilians, they had counted as veterans.

While all should be helped that need it, and I support that. However the Vietnam Veteran was going to be shamed and used again to justify a government funded program.