Challenge
On any given night in America, over 76,000 Veterans are homeless. These homeless Veterans are in rural, suburban, and urban areas across the country and face unique challenges. In 2010, the White House and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) jointly took on the challenge to end homelessness among America’s Veterans by 2015. The strategies to meet this challenge are varied and focus upon federal, state, and community level resources and programs. Within VA, the homeless programs and services have joined forces with the compensated work therapy programs to create the Homeless Veterans Supported Employment Program (HVSEP), which focuses on job development for homeless Veterans.
Solution
Atlas Research supported VA’s HVSEP by creating and delivering a national training program for 400 formerly homeless Veterans hired by VA to help other homeless Veterans find employment. Project partners include Advocates for Human Potential and Easter Seals, Inc.
Under the contract, 48 Atlas consultants across the country provided individualized training, mentoring, and consultation to the Veterans, known as Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists (VRSes), to increase their capacities in work assessment and job development. The training took place at 159 VA facilities and included one-on-one assessment and job development training that tailored services for each individual. The training showed positive results in helping the unemployed obtain and retain employment in their communities.
Result
Atlas consultants conducted initial site visits to each facility and performed skills assessments for the VRSes. Individualized job development training was provided during additional site visits, and the consultants provided mentoring to further facilitate knowledge and skills development.
Atlas planned and conducted a national collaborative meeting for consultants and VA personnel to initiate the project and orient consultants to the program and VA policies and procedures. All VRSes were trained by February 2013 and all were engaged in six weeks of continued mentoring through the end of the project. Each VRS carried a caseload of 25 homeless Veterans in the first year and 50 in the second year.