Veterans' Suffering: A Call for Action
Veterans took their full time to fight for the US government through persistent dedication and sacrifice of their own lives. However, many of the individuals are currently undergoing extreme suffering and negligence by the same regime that they used to serve. Among the group, instances of attempting suicide, homelessness, and mental disorders are highly prevalent (Wise and Cackley 5). After accomplishing the military duties, the troopers went to their homes where many of them have been experiencing frequent cases of miseries. The Veterans affairs report affirms that the troupers form part of the vagrant population whereas over 200000 are living in streets (Wise and Cackley 8). Having labored for the US during the hard times when security was needed, the reward by the US government seems to be unfair. This paper will explore various approaches that can be used to identify the homeless and disabled veterans. Additionally, the write-up will recommend how the problems of the veterans would be solved.
Identifying the Homeless and Disabled Veterans
Use of Data to Allocate the Veterans who are Victims of Homelessness
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the US in coordination with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), as well as other federal partners works together to generate data for recognizing the suffering troopers (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 149). The sharing data permits the Homeless response systems to collect and share the information using HMIS as a data collection tool. Also, the Homeless Management Evaluation Systems (HOMES) is helpful in the review and entering the names of homeless old-timers. Such entries are usually made on the community list after which the matching is conducted on the existing vacancies of the houses. On the other hand, the point-in-time approach would acknowledge the roving veterans in which publics are allowed to use coordinated approaches like Point in Time (PIT) to provide the annual record of the homeless veterans (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 150). Ultimately, the data on the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) is being availed to the Congress to take immediate actions.
Outreach Programs
To pinpoint the vagrant veterans, it is vital to conduct outreach activities to identify the suffering group and encourage them to enjoy the services (Wise and Cackley 10). Through the means, service providers can evaluate the physical and individuals’ mental requirements. Additionally, outreach platforms would ascertain the best programs and amenities to give through actual steps of meeting the sufferers at a personal level and engaging them (Wise and Cackley 11). For instance, outreach aspect incorporates targeting that map out the key troupers who face poor housing. The method strategically prioritizes the needs of veterans while referring the vagrant group to be assisted by the housing agencies.
Creating a by-name List
By-name list entails an updated list with the real names of all victims who are in anguish due to homelessness (Byrne et al. 252). By-name list is generated using the CoC, VA, and community-related agencies’ data with the aim of culminating the Veterans’ vagrancy. By-name is a shareable list that undergoes regular updating to ensure that every veteran who is in need of houses are adequately allotted a suitable habitation. The tool allows the community to detect every dispossessed trouper in real time by the name without necessarily waiting for the PIT counting (Byrne et al. 253). Additionally, By-name list facilitates stance of the community in recognizing the individual needs. The personalities who are acknowledged begin benefiting from housing and other primary care services.
Utilizing the Coordinated Entry
Coordinated Entry (CE) assists in identifying the homeless veterans by streamlining and facilitating the accessibility to the considerable housing programs for the vagrant veterans as well as the subgroups within the US (Byrne et al. 256). CE adopts the usage of centralized assessment strategy that synchronizes the process of assessing and producing referrals as well as harmonizing the program participant intake (Wise and Cackley 15). The families that are experiencing housing problems and seeking the habitation services can easily obtain such provisions through the Centralized Assessment System (CAS).
Team Collaboration and Communication
To culminate the long-term prevalence of veterans’ homelessness, the Federal, local partners, and state must collaborate to have a joint approach in homeless services (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 154). The union would facilitate efficiency in the identification of individual victims, and share of available information and resources. Through the approach, some troopers who are never members of VA would still be spotted by the HUD, USICH, NAMC, and local PHAS respectively (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 155). As a result of effective communication, all the old-timers under the jeopardy of housing would be acknowledged after which a timely report is conveyed to the relevant authority.
How Veterans’ Homelessness Problems can be solved
Creating Leadership Team to Culminate the Issue of Homelessness
Ending the vagrancy of old-timers calls for the reinstatement of the proficient staff that can identify the homeless troupers. In fact, all the critical players in housing programs such as the CoC, VAMC, PHAs, and VA amongst others must convene the frontrunners and empower them to allocate and offer appropriate assistance to the victims (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 158). The headship would inform the public to report the instances of homeless veterans as well as channeling resources and input needed to realize the success of the process.
Establishing Plans that are geared towards Identifying and Engaging All the Veterans in the Community
To solve the homeless problems of the veterans, an entity that concerns with the collection and reporting the info about the troupers should be in place (Wise and Cackley 18). Such data should be gathered in a transparent and streamlined manner. The US should also increase the rate of investment and partnership in reaching the homeless, an instance that would diversify the scrutiny of the suffering troupers. With the use of shared data and benchmarks for measuring the progress, several dispossessed old-timers would be identified after which immediate actions are taken (Wise and Cackley 19). The process would be more useful due to augmentation with the website for easier tracking.
Eliminating Barriers to Veterans’ Housing
In an attempt to avoid the setbacks for veterans’ housing programs, US should partner with the homeless assistance system (Byrne, Montgomery, and Fargo 158). Through the approach, all poor veterans would be included in the By-Name list, an instance that is significant in developing proper housing plans. The homeless veterans should also be linked to the housing navigators to obtain necessary support amenities. Furthermore, the critical requirements including security deposits, furniture, and IDs of the veterans should be timely collected and availed to the relevant authorities.
Overall, veterans have been continuously subjected to unfair treatment including attempting suicide, homelessness, and mental disorders. However, following the commitment in service that such personalities sacrificed during the working stages, the US government should identify and assist the old-timers. The strategies for determining the homeless veterans encompass the use of sharing and the Point-in-Time data. Other tactics are outreach programs, creating By-list, using the coordinated entry, and team collaboration and communication. To solve the challenges of veterans, a dedicated and focused leadership team should be initiated to identify the vagrant veterans. On the other hand, includes plans for identifying and engaging the dispossessed veterans and the community should be in place. Finally, the US should eliminate the barriers which are setbacks to the housing accessibility like lack of IDs. Indeed, veterans are vital people whose interests must be tolerated just like other potential civil servants of the United States.
Work Cited
Byrne, Thomas, et al. "Predictors of homelessness among families and single adults after exit from homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing programs: evidence from the Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program." Housing Policy Debate 26.1 (2016): 252-275.
Byrne, Thomas, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, and Jamison D. Fargo. "Unsheltered homelessness among veterans: correlates and profiles." Community Mental Health Journal 52.2 (2016): 148-157.
Wise, David J., and Alicia Pue Cackley. Homeless Veterans: Management Improvements Could Help VA Better Identify Supportive Housing Projects. No. GAO-17-101. US Government Accountability Office Washington United States, 2016.
