NCHV Program Profiles

The following snapshots of member organizations represent successful programs across the country that are helping thousands of homeless veterans regain control of their lives. We will add new organizations each month, so come back to visit often. For a list of homeless veteran service providers in your area, click here.

• California
• Indiana
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• New York

California

New Directions, Inc.
11303 Wilshire Blvd., Bldg. 116
Los Angeles, CA 90073-1003
Website: http://www.newdirectionsinc.org
Primary Contact: Toni Reinis

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management; legal assistance.

New Directions Inc. is a residential self-help program for veterans based on the 12-Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is a complete detoxification, rehabilitation and job training program designed to address the multiple problems of homeless veterans in Los Angeles County. Along with long-term substance abuse treatment, residents receive transitional housing, food, clothing, life skills training, remedial education, counseling, psychiatric services, legal services, health care, parenting classes, and comprehensive employment services including counseling, classroom training, on-the-job training and placement. Every aspect of the program encourages self-determination and self-sufficiency.

The program operates out of four West Los Angeles residential facilities: the 156-bed Regional Opportunity Center; the 43-bed New Dimensions North for dually diagnosed homeless veterans; and two residences, each serving eight women. New Directions serves approximately 800 clients each year. The organization operates three business enterprises - catering, construction and a restaurant - to help residents develop employment skills and personal responsibility. The success of New Directions is enhanced by partnerships with the West L.A. VA Medical Center, L.A. Unified School District, and L.A. Trade-Technical College.

back to top

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; transportation; health care; comprehensive case management; legal assistance.

Swords to Plowshares provides direct service to over 2,000 veterans annually in addition to educating the public about national and local policies related to veterans. Using a veterans-helping-veterans approach, Swords offers veteran-specific services, including mental health counseling, transitional housing, legal assistance, and job training and placement.

The Supportive Services unit provides mental health services, intake and assessments, crisis intervention and counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol problems. The Veterans Academy, a veteran-specific community-based residential program in San Francisco, provides on-site rehabilitative counseling and support services to homeless veterans, offering help with communication skills, job training, money management, independent living and social skills.

Last year, Swords launched a new a new women's outreach and residential treatment program at its Treasure Island housing facility. With this new program, women can benefit from a women's therapy group as well as participate in the regular activities shared by all the residents.

The legal services unit provides representation, referral, advocacy and case management to veterans. The employment and training unit focuses much of its efforts on low-income clients, 80% of whom are initially homeless. Clients receive practical training, vocational counseling, case management, life skills and resume writing.

back to top

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; transportation; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management; legal assistance.

United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS) provides safe, clinically supported housing and employment assistance for homeless and at-risk veterans including transitional and permanent housing, employment assistance, counseling for mental health issues, case management, addictions treatment, and rental assistance for those veterans who are disabled. The goal is to help each veteran reach his or her highest level of independence as rapidly as possible.

U.S. VETS is the largest organization providing housing and supportive services to homeless veterans in the nation. Its ten facilities across the country provide housing for more than 2,100 formerly homeless veterans each night.  In seven of its sites, U.S. VETS operates its highly successful Veterans in Progress (a back to work program), which consistently has a success rate of 80% of its participants attaining and maintaining employment. Each year, more than 1,100 veterans are finding work through this program.  Some sites feature special needs programs, such as a Father's Program, which reunites fathers with their children, the ADVANCE Women’s Program serving female veterans suffering from PTSD and/or sexual trauma, the High Barriers Program for veterans with significant barriers to rejoining the workforce, and the Dual Diagnosis program for veterans with co-occurring disorders.

Each year, U.S. VETS programs serve more than 3,000 homeless and at-risk veterans.  Sixty-five percent make successful transitions into permanent housing and achievement of self-sufficiency.

Since 1993, U.S. VETS has: 

• Operated Westside Residence Hall, our inaugural site with 485 beds;
• Opened Villages at Cabrillo, a 26-acre base closure project in Long Beach, the largest transitional housing facility for homeless veterans in the country, which partners 9 agencies and presently houses over 700 homeless veterans, families and youth; 
• Opened a 260-bed facility in Las Vegas;
• Opened a 100-bed transitional housing facility and employment center, the DeGeorge Hotel; and a 170-bed housing component at Mid-Town Days Inn in Houston, Texas;
• Opened a 80 bed facility in Phoenix, AZ, and a 58 bed facility in Prescott, AZ;
• Opened a  200 bed facility in Honolulu, HI;
• Opened Ignatia House, a 51-bed facility in Washington, D.C.; and
• Opened a 119 bed facility at March ARB in Riverside, CA. In 2008 U.S. VETS will be opening an 80-bed program in Compton, California.

All U.S. VETS programs are collaborative efforts with local area providers, VA Medical Centers, and local government agencies, bringing the community as a whole into the solution for homeless veterans.

back to top

Services: Emergency and transitional housing, food, employment training and placement services, transportation assistance, permanent supportive housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, other health services, counseling service and referrals, legal assistance

4141 Pacific highway
San Diego, California  92110
Phone:  619-497-0142
Fax:  619-497-0735
Website:  www.vvsd.net
President/CEO:  Al Pavich

Vietnam Veterans of San Diego (VVSD) operates an 87-bed licensed alcohol and drug treatment center near downtown San Diego for homeless male and female veterans of all wars and eras. The Veterans Rehabilitation Center offers residents a safe, clean and sober village-like setting for several months to a year, depending upon individual needs. The program is integrated with structured case management and mental health therapy, and simultaneously addresses the addictions, mental health problems, medical needs, family issues, spiritual development and employment training and placement requirements of each resident.

Other supportive transitional housing facilities include New Resolve, Mahedy Sober Living House and FOCUS. VVSD also provides case management and counseling services to veterans living in the St. Vincent de Paul housing facility for the homeless in downtown San Diego.   

VVSD launched the nation’s first Stand Down for homeless veterans, a three-day event held each summer that provides up to 700 homeless veterans and family members with clothing, food, shelter, legal and medical assistance, referrals to jobs and housing, and veterans benefits counseling in a self-contained tent community. The San Diego Stand Down was the first to include comprehensive medical services and, through a partnership with the San Diego Superior Court, the first to offer the Homeless Court Program, which helps veterans clear legal barriers to accessing housing and employment.

Employment services offered by VVSD include career assessments and guidance, job search and training assistance, transportation and help with acquiring tools to ensure job readiness and successful placements. In its more than 20 years of operating programs, VVSD has developed an extensive network of referral agencies and employment training resources to assist clients to successfully become employed at an average wage of $10.00 per hour.

back to top

Indiana

HVAF of Indiana, Inc.
964 North Pennsylvania Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Website: http://www.hvaf.org
Primary Contact: Charles A. Haenlein

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; transportation; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management.

Dedicated to ending homelessness for veterans and their families through prevention, education, supportive services and advocacy, the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) provides supported, structured transitional housing, case management, counseling, employment counseling, employment placement, transportation, food, clothing, personal hygiene items, referrals and other supportive services to homeless veterans in Indiana. HVAF currently owns and operates seven houses at various sites, a 13-bed apartment complex, and a 36-bed residential employment and substance treatment (R.E.S.T.) facility in Indianapolis. Homeless veterans needing comprehensive counseling, substance abuse treatment and employment assistance can remain in the R.E.S.T. program for up to two years.

back to top

Massachusetts

United Veterans of America, Inc.
421 N. Main Street Bldg-6
Leeds, MA 01053
Website: http://unitedveterans.org/
Primary Contact: Jack Downing

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; health care; comprehensive case management.

The United Veterans of America, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit corporation. Since opening its doors in 1994, the UVA has grown from 26 to 120 beds while providing continuous, local operation for nine years. The UVA is committed to serving the needs of the whole individual - AA and NA meetings are mandatory; drug and alcohol tests are conducted at random; there are programs in employable skill acquisition and self-improvement. The UVA operates a facility that provides a safe, clean and quiet shelter, substance abuse counseling, employment services and transitional programs for male and female veterans that will provide a positive and productive life.

back to top

Maryland

Maryland Center for Veterans Education & Training
301 N. High Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Website: http://mcvet.org/
Primary Contact: Charles Williams

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; transportation; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management; legal assistance.

The Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training serves 500 homeless veterans each year. About 80% of those are affected by mental health issues, and 98% are dealing with substance abuse issues. MCVET serves more than 200 veterans daily through four distinctive components - a drop-in day shelter with a capacity of 50 veterans; a 50-bed short-term emergency shelter; a two-year transitional housing program for 120 veterans who have completed the transition from the emergency shelter; and 80 Single Room Occupancy (SRO) apartments. The various components work together in a natural progression to create a full continuum of housing, counseling and job placement services for veterans in need.

The program is structured on the Military Model, using the principles of individual accountability, self-discipline, organization and teamwork. In conjunction with the above services, residents receive three balanced meals daily, on-site assistance for physical health problems, and referrals for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and family problems. Each resident is required to attend substance abuse classes and Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous meetings while working with a case manager in the development of an Individual Service Strategy, a long-range plan used as a tool in remaining drug and alcohol free.

back to top

Minnesota

MN Assistance Council for Veterans
VAMC Bldg #47, #1 Veterans Dr.
Minneapolis, MN 55417-2300
Website: http://www.mac-v.org
Primary Contact: Kathleen A. Vitalis

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; transportation; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management; legal assistance.

The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) has served over 1,800 veterans statewide, providing transitional and supportive services for homeless veterans so they may return to society as productive citizens. Headquartered on the grounds of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, MACV has established programs in Duluth and Mankato, operates eight transitional housing facilities in Minneapolis and one in St. Cloud, and is currently working on the development of three more projects that will provide emergency, transitional and permanent housing and other support services for homeless veterans.

MACV works with veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, providing emergency shelter, food, transitional housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, day care, employment training and counseling; and assisting with the acquisition and retention of permanent housing - both supportive and independent.

MACV was instrumental in obtaining a $16.2 million bond issue from the Minnesota legislature in 2002 for the construction of 218 permanent housing apartments on the grounds of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, and 70 units on the St. Cloud VA Medical Center campus. The organization is also building a 12-unit housing complex in St. Peter with a federal grant. Recently MACV received a $500,000 Department of Labor grant for a pre-employment legal services program.

back to top

New York

Veterans Outreach Center
459 South Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620-1089
Website: http://www.veteransoutreachcenter.org
Email: info@veteransoutreachcenter.org
Primary Contact: Thomas Cray

Services: Transitional housing; food; employment training and placement; transportation; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management.

The Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) is the nation's oldest community-based outreach and advocacy center for veterans and their family members. The center has served over 28,000 veteran clients in upstate New York since opening in 1973. VOC provides mental health services for veterans and their families, with referrals to community resources for substance abuse treatment, domestic violence issues, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), parenting skills and other support services.

The Resource Center is the one-stop career development and vocational training facility of the VOC. The center is the "launching pad" for outreach initiatives into the Greater Rochester five-county area, providing counseling, case management, housing assistance and a full range of employment services and training. The center is a collaborative base of operations for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outreach staff and New York State Division of Veterans Affairs full-time benefits counselors. A Department of Labor DVOP provides on-site employment services. The Resource Center features a Veterans Community Technology Center (state-of-the-art computer center for skills training) and Quartermaster's Club, which provides professional work clothing for the job-ready veteran. In addition, VETNET focus groups, the VETCOM employer's newsletter, mentoring, internship and volunteer programs, an annual rural Stand Down and an urban community Veterans Job Fair are some of the enrollment and employment outreach activities conducted throughout the year.

VOC operates a full continuum of residential services for homeless veterans. We find the veteran, then provide emergency, transitional, supportive and permanent housing. Residents receive targeted counseling to remove behavioral and other barriers that contribute to homelessness. Programs are focused to achieve maximum self-sufficiency. Workshops prepare them for employment and independent living. Case management services facilitate successful referrals to health care providers, mental health facilities and substance abuse treatment programs.

A unique component of VOC's services, the Veterans Alternatives to Incarceration Program (VATIP) is designed to help veterans who are non-violent substance-abusing criminal offenders. By leveraging the coercive power of the criminal justice system, VATIP alters the behavior of non-violent drug offenders through a combination of judicial supervision, case management, mandatory drug testing and treatment to ensure abstinence from drugs and a crime-free lifestyle.

STARS & STRIPES, The Flag Store is owned and operated by the VOC. All proceeds support programs and services for homeless and disadvantaged veterans. Based on the concept "Buy America's Flag from America's Veterans," the store's main products are the American flag and accessory items, such as flagpoles and brackets. The store can be contacted directly at 585-546-FLAG (3524), at flags@frontiernet.net, or by visiting the website at www.eflagstore.com.

back to top

Services: Transitional housing; employment training and placement; permanent supportive housing; health care; comprehensive case management.

This unique private sector-corporate-government partnership was established in 1987 by a group of veterans and community leaders who recognized the need for "special needs" housing and housing-related "Continuum of Care" services for economically displaced, disadvantaged and disabled veterans. The Western New York Veterans Housing Coalition (WNYVHC) provides housing and case management program services to individuals and families who might otherwise face homelessness or prolonged hospital and nursing home stays because they are unable to find accessible and affordable housing under the guidelines of the "Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)."

The coalition operates seven supportive housing properties that feature housing choices ranging from Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units to multiple-bedroom apartments for homeless families. The federal, New York state and City of Buffalo governments are major stakeholders in the success of the partnership; and the local development and financial services communities have made that success possible. With the support of the VA VISN 2 Health Care System, residents have access to health, employment and VA benefits counseling services.

back to top