On March 27 and 28, members of 25 communities nationwide convened with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and The Home Depot Foundation (THDF) leaders for an open exchange on the drive to end Veteran homelessness. The 25 Cities Leadership Launch Event, held in Washington, DC, aimed to collaborate with 25 communities to align existing efforts on this front by 2015, and lay the foundation for ending chronic homelessness. The event reflected the diverse needs and approaches to this national issue, and demonstrated a unity of purpose in supporting the nation’s Veterans who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Communities are leading change with innovative methods of preventing homelessness, and federal and state partners are continuing the transformation by helping integrate and accelerate these initiatives.
As National Director of Homeless Programs for Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Lisa Pape remarked, "housing is a process," and each community engaged in comprehensive exchange with VA and its partners on "crossing the line together." The three-pronged approach involves identifying, assessing, and matching homeless Veterans to appropriate housing support interventions; working with communities to strengthen and integrate data systems to coordinate efforts to end homelessness; and further integrating VA resources with overall community efforts.
Organized and led by Atlas Research, Community Solutions, and Rapid Results, and sponsored by THDF, the 25 Cities Leadership Launch Event embodied the extended dialogue on preventing and ending Veteran homelessness. Participants gave feedback on pressing issues within their communities, providing a better picture of appropriate support from national and federal partners. From San Diego to New York City, leaders described the wide landscape of homelessness, outlining the processes they have developed to address the unique needs of Veterans in their localities. VA, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) continued to gather information on the places they serve, gaining valuable insight and feedback on integrating data systems for optimizing their support of community initiatives and best practices.
Over two days, participants reviewed promising examples of coordinated assessment and housing placement systems, engaged in conversation with national leaders, and mapped out the progress of data analysis in each community. They also emphasized the importance of sharing and leveraging that data, developing leadership teams to accelerate systems change and prepare for community-based launches to further the results of homelessness prevention.
As community members shared their stories of both success and setback, Vincent Kane, Director of the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, wrapped up the convening with a simple imperative: Let's keep talking. The 25 communities will continue their work to end Veteran homelessness with local launches. Leaders and frontline staff will begin 100-day planning cycles to identify and support homeless Veterans and chronically homeless individuals to match them to commensurate housing resources.