NVTAC Virtual Learning Class: Strategies to Succeed in HVRP Cindy Borden NCHV cborden@nchv.org Cori Di Biase Manhattan Strategy Group cdibiase@manhattanstrategy.com Nicole LaCorte-Klein Atlas Research nlacorteklein@atlasresearch.us NVTAC Virtual Learning Class: Strategies to Succeed in HVRP Module Six: Subpopulation Services

Module six Objectives: After completing this VLC, you will know: TBD

Meet Your Instructors Nicole LaCorte-Klein, MA, CRC Cori Di Biase Training Consultant at Atlas Research, Nicole brings years of experience providing job placement, vocational case management and direct service to individuals who are homeless. Nicole has provided technical assistance to HVRP, SSVF and other Veterans Administration staff for years, offering her experience as both direct service provider and trainer. Cori Di Biase NVTAC Project director at the Manhattan Strategy Group, Cori has provided services and consultation to support veterans and civilians in employment for more than twenty years. Cori prides himself on serving the staff and leaders who have dedicated themselves to serving our country. Cindy Borden As the Director of Technical Assistance and Training for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV), Cindy conducts training, develops resources, and provides intensive coaching in program design and implementation to veteran service organizations. Cindy brings more than 20 years experience in both direct service and technical assistance to help organizations increase capacity and improve services.

Jen Elder, SOAR TA Center Course Schedule Date Day Topic Lead Instructor Guest Speaker 10/1 Monday Introduction to HVRP, Partnerships, AJC Enrollment Cindy   10/3 Wednesday Job Readiness & Outreach Strategies Nicole 10/8 Employment Assessment & Job Matching Cori 10/10 Housing and Supportive Services: Strengthening Community Collaboration/Partnerships 10/15 Job Driven Training, Employer Development & Job Placement, AJC Partnership Nena Siverd, VOC 10/17 Sub-population services (female veterans, younger veterans, older veterans, families) 10/22 Justice Involved Veterans – ex-offenders, incarcerated veterans, link with VJOs and Reentry Specialists 10/24 Job Retention & Follow Up 10/29 Benefits, work incentives, employment services and supports Jen Elder, SOAR TA Center 10/31 Avoiding Burnout: Taking care of Yourself

Homework Review HOMEWORK from Monday... Share one success story and one challenging case from your program’s work with veteran subpopulations. Type your answer in the public Questions box and press “enter” to send

Overview of Subpopulations and special groups

Homeless veteran special groups Veterans with Disabilities Newly separated Campaign Badge Recipient Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom Welfare and/or other public assistance recipients Economically disadvantaged Chronically homeless Incarcerated veterans Stand Down participants

Veterans with Disabilities Disabilities acquired during or after service-including physical, mental and psychological disabilities (e.g. PTSD)-can impact: Job ‘match’ around tasks, work environment, preferred management and communications styles; Features of housing, transportation, and other basic needs related to living and working; and The type of partners that should be involved in the employment development process.

Chronically homeless veteran A ‘‘chronically homeless’’ individual is defined to mean a homeless individual with a disability who lives either in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or in an emergency shelter, or in an institutional care facility if the individual has been living in the facility for fewer than 90 days and had been living in a place not meant for human habitation, a safe haven, or in an emergency shelter immediately before entering the institutional care facility. In order to meet the ‘‘chronically homeless’’ definition, the individual also must have been living as described above continuously for at least 12 months, or on at least four separate occasions in the last 3 years, where the combined occasions total a length of time of at least 12 months. Each period separating the occasions must include at least 7 nights of living in a situation other than a place not meant for human habitation, in an emergency shelter, or in a safe haven. https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Defining-Chronically-Homeless-Final-Rule.pdf https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Flowchart-of-HUDs-Definition-of-Chronic-Homelessness.pdf

Incarcerated veteran Veterans who have been convicted as an adult and imprisoned under municipal, county, tribal, federal, or state law and fall into one of the following categories. Category 1 - The veteran was released within the previous 12 months from a penal institution into homelessness and needs employment assistance; Category 2 - The veteran has been incarcerated for at least six months and is scheduled for release within six months with no known housing destination and needs employment assistance; Category 3 - The veteran was released within the previous 12 months from a penal institution into temporary or permanent housing, but is now at imminent risk of homelessness and needs employment assistance; o Category 4 - The veteran is a resident of an institution that provides long-term care for mental illness and is scheduled for release with no known housing destination and needs employment assistance. Will talk more about this subgroup in the next session

Homeless veterans subpopulations Women veterans Veterans with children Older veterans Younger veterans Veterans of color LGTBQ veterans

Audience Poll Question Which of the following subpopulations is overrepresented in your HVRP? Chronically Homeless Women Veterans and/or Veterans with Children Older and/or Younger Veterans Veterans of Color LGTBQ Veterans Vote on the screen! Check the box that reflects your best answer.

Exploring subpopulations

Women veterans Fastest growing demographic Veteran identity Veterans organizations and service providers have been slow to adapt to women veterans

Population Trends: Women Veterans Compared to their male counterparts, women veterans: have a lower median household income; are younger; and are more racially and ethnically diverse. Compared to non-veteran women, women veterans: are older; are more racially and ethnically diverse; have a higher median household income; have higher educational attainment/enrollment; and are more likely to be homeless. Source: Profile of Women Veterans: 2014 Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, April 2016

Older veterans Defining older Older veterans face workplace discrimination Breaking stereotypes Sensitivity to needs and issues

Younger veterans Defining “younger” vs. recent Skills transfer Current conflict veterans – not always “young” Skills transfer Program must not “shout” homeless – younger veterans often do no self-identify Want to be active in community Add info about VSOs specific to this age group

Population Trends: Younger and Recently Separated Veterans Compared to all other veterans, Post- 9/11 veterans are: More likely to be nonwhite, single, uninsured, have no income, and live in a household receiving food stamps; Less likely to enroll in and use VA health care; and Have higher rates of service-connected disability (23 versus 16 percent). Approx. 54% of post 9/11 veterans are under 35; 75% under 45 Median age 33 Post-9/11 Veterans were more racially diverse than all other Veterans. Lower percentage of Post-9/11 Veterans enrolled in VA health care than all other Veterans and used VA health care at a lower rate. Among the service-connected disabled population, the Post-9/11 Veterans used VA health care at a lower rate than all other Veterans. About 23 percent of Post-9/11 Veterans had a service-connected disability versus 16 percent of all other Veterans.

Veterans of color Black and Latino veterans are over-represented in homeless veteran population Understanding the historical context of contributions veterans of color have made to our military and nation Importance of hiring diverse staff Providing services with respect and understanding

Populations Trends: Veterans of color Compared to all other veterans, minority veterans are younger than white veterans: 7.3% of white veterans are between 17 to 34 years old; dramatically higher for all minority groups, with some nearing 20%; and Median age for minority Veteran groups 49 - 58 years old vs. 65 for White Veterans. The veteran population is getting more and more diverse. Minority veterans currently 22% of the total veteran population, 33% of women veterans but expected to increase. Increase to 34% as total number of veterans declines. Source: 2014 Minority Veterans Report Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, April 2016 20

Veterans with families Veterans with dependents are a growing demographic. Single parent have more considerations and challenges. Men can be single parents, too. Service section slowly adapting to families experiencing homelessness.

LGTBQ veterans May have faced discrimination and/or military justice while on active duty. Newly emerging as a unique subpopulation; new military regulations mean newly discharged LGBTQ veterans may have served “out”. More research is needed to fully understand the impact of LGTBQ status on veterans.

Chat exercise/group discussion Are there other subpopulations that are missing or that are emerging in your community? Type your answer in the public questions box and press “enter” to send or raise your hand to talk.

QUESTIONS? Type your questions in the chat box or “raise your hand” to have your phone line unmuted.

The big picture of veteran subpopulations

Special considerations Each subpopulation has unique service needs, but all are veterans. Focus on strengths, rather than barriers. Find common ground in building rapport with every veteran you serve.

Tailoring services for subpopulations For all service and case-management interactions, staff must: Be welcoming to all veterans. Be family-friendly. Ensure women feel safe and respected. Ensure different age groups represented. Be non-judgmental. If housing, income and supportive services are the what… Case management is the how

Trauma-informed care The Guiding Principles of Trauma Informed Care (from SAMSHA): Safety - Throughout the organization, staff and the people they serve feel physically and psychologically safe. Trustworthiness and transparency - Organizational operations and decisions are conducted with transparency and the goal of building and maintaining trust among staff, clients, and family members of those receiving services. Peer support and mutual self-help - These are integral to the organizational and service delivery approach and are understood as a key vehicle for building trust, establishing safety, and empowerment. Collaboration and mutuality - There is true partnering and leveling of power differences between staff and clients and among organizational staff from direct care staff to administrators. There is recognition that healing happens in relationships and in the meaningful sharing of power and decision-making. The organization recognizes that everyone has a role to play in a trauma-informed approach. One does not have to be a therapist to be therapeutic.

Trauma-informed care (cont.) The Guiding Principles of Trauma Informed Care (from SAMSHA): Empowerment, voice, and choice - Throughout the organization and among the clients served, individuals' strengths are recognized, built on, and validated and new skills developed as necessary. The organization aims to strengthen the staff's, clients', and family members' experience of choice and recognize that every person's experience is unique and requires an individualized approach. This includes a belief in resilience and in the ability of individuals, organizations, and communities to heal and promote recovery from trauma. This builds on what clients, staff, and communities have to offer, rather than responding to perceived deficits. Cultural, historical, and gender issues - The organization actively moves past cultural stereotypes and biases (e.g., based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, geography), offers gender responsive services, leverages the healing value of traditional cultural connections, and recognizes and addresses historical trauma. https://www.samhsa.gov/samhsaNewsLetter/Volume_22_Number_2/trauma_tip/guiding_princi ples.html

Chat exercise What are some unique ways that your program has adapted and changed to meet specific needs of subpopulations? How do you make your program more friendly to various subpopulations? Connect back to Module 2 discussion of partnerships – no case manager or organization can do this alone.

Putting this into practice Barbara is a 36-year-old, mixed race, Coast Guard veteran. She identifies as LGBT/Homosexual. She was sexually assaulted by a senior officer while on active duty and as a result has experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and has undiagnosed PTSD. She doesn’t seem open to discussing her past other than to say she “got into drugs as a form of self-medication” and that she has been unable to keep a steady job. She has been couch-surfing at friends’ houses. She says she is ready to change her life but doesn’t know what to do.

Chat exercise/group discussion 1 How can your HVRP create a welcoming environment for Barbara? Program Design Considerations Staffing Engaging in Conversation Type your answer in the public Question box and press “enter” to send or raise your hand to talk. Click to pull up questions one at a time.

Chat exercise/group discussion 2 What kinds of services does Barbara need? Direct (HVRP) Indirect (Referrals) What other unmet needs does she have? Type your answer in the public Question box and press “enter” to send or raise your hand to talk. Click to pull up questions one at a time.

Chat exercise/group discussion 3 Is HVRP equipped to address Barbara’s barriers? Is she “employment ready?” What about her housing situation? Can someone who is actively using be employable? Type your answer in the public Question box and press “enter” to send or raise your hand to talk. Click to pull up questions one at a time.

Lessons learned from Barbara Special populations often have unique barriers and challenges. Workplace discrimination is often a concern for some subpopulations. Making clients feel comfortable is crucial: Create an open and welcoming environment; and Staff should reflect client demographics. Sometimes the veteran’s needs will exceed the program’s capacity: Understand triage; Have good judgement; and Know when to refer and have the network to do so.

More QUESTIONS? HOMEWORK for Monday! TBD

Contact Information Cori Di Biase Manhattan Strategy Group cdibiase@manhattanstrategy.com Cindy Borden NCHV cborden@nchv.org Nicole LaCorte-Klein Atlas Research nlacorteklein@atlasresearch.us