NCHV Training on Homeless Courts and Veteran Treatment Courts

WASHINGTON— On Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at 3 p.m. EST, NCHV’s Technical Assistance Center will host “Meeting Legal Needs of Homeless and At-Risk Veterans: Homeless Court Programs and Veteran Treatment Courts.” This Level II Training Webinar will feature issue-experts Steve Binder, Deputy Public Defender and founder of the nation’s first Homeless Court, and Matt Stiner, Director of Justice for Vets. HVRP Best Practice grantee Veterans Outreach Center will share insights on developing legal services for veterans enrolled in HVRP.

Download presentation slides here.

Watch the presentation here.

To facilitate employment readiness, HVRP grantees must often work with participants to address misdemeanor charges, discharge upgrades, child support issues, and other legal issues that can act as barriers to training, education, employment placement, and career growth. For 25 years, Homeless Court Programs (HCP) have used close collaboration between the criminal justice system and service providers to aid homeless veterans in providing proof of engagement with rehabilitation and treatment services to address misdemeanor offenses. For veterans with disabling psychological conditions facing possible incarceration, alternative sentencing programs through Veteran Treatment Courts (VTC) provide an avenue to appropriate treatment, gainful employment and housing stability.

Participants in this training will obtain a baseline understanding of these two critical court models developed to provide alternatives to incarceration and remove legal barriers to employment placement, permanent housing stability, and availability of treatment services. Speakers will outline important partners in each court model and strategies for engaging with existing courts and developing new courts.

In advance of this training, participants are encouraged to review the following materials:

Taking the Court to Stand Down

Homeless Court: Helping to Remove Veterans’ Barriers to Employment

The Homeless Court Program: Taking the Court to the Streets

San Diego 2013 Homeless Court Calendar