Transatlantic Practice Exchange 2018 Veterans Aid London, UK Tramecia Garner Associate Director for Housing & Residential Programs Swords to Plowshares San Francisco, CA tgarner@stp-sf.org

Who We Are: Swords to Plowshares www.swords-to-plowshares.org Permanent Supportive and Transitional Housing Legal Services for VA related benefits and discharge upgrades To include Justice Involved Veterans (COVER project) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) SOAR: SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access & Recovery Money Management Drop-In Center Employment and Training Institute on Veteran Policy

Who They Are: Veterans Aid https://veterans-aid.net/ Non-profit Charity in London Veteran serving agency established in 1932 Transitional Housing with onsite Case Management Employment and Training Substance Use counseling Outreach Permanent housing placement supports Temporary Housing accommodations Linkages to other services such as Mental Health, Detox, Medical care

Homelessness Amongst Veterans UK: London US: San Francisco, CA In the most recent Greater London Authority CHAIN report from 2017- 2018 there were 7,484 rough sleepers of which 3% or 135 are UK Nationals, having served in the Armed Forces within the UK The largest cohort that comprise this count are Gulf-War and current era veterans There was no data to distinguish chronic homelessness within this data set In the last Point-In-Time count there were 7,499 homeless persons in San Francisco of which 684 were veterans, about 9% of the total homeless population Of the 684 homeless veterans 137, or 6%, were considered chronically homeless Many of those homeless are seniors having served during the Vietnam Era

Learning Objectives Original Expectations vs. Realities Original Learning Objectives What I Really Learned What are the barriers for veterans accessing affordable housing in the UK? How do agencies address these barriers to get veterans off the streets? Long-term Case Management that will be needed during the housing search and once a veteran is placed into housing and are those available and sustainable at the levels needed? Employment or volunteer opportunities for those able to return to engage in some form of work Connections with other benefits such as food, clothing, medical, legal, and income supports Harm reduction approaches to sustain housing for those that are not interested in ceasing their substance use or treating mental health Social Welfare system in the UK and its role in homelessness National Healthcare System Actual small number of homeless veterans in the UK Overall cultural aspect of homelessness in the UK Prevention vs. Crisis response system Veterans Aid’s focus on prevention due to the small numbers of homeless veterans in London

Governmental Responses to Veteran Homelessness UK: London US: San Francisco Each local authority is responsible for rough sleeping in terms of having services available This does create some inequities depending upon the locality same as urban vs. rural issues here in the US Seniors are rarely homeless in the UK due to their system of care for those eligible for senior services Universal Benefit system for UK Nationals which provides access to a Housing Benefit and Income based on various factors along with other benefits National Healthcare system for UK Nationals which ensures access to healthcare for all Armed Forces Covenant to ensure veterans and their families have access to services they need upon exiting military service Creation of a new Department of Homelessness to address the specific challenges in SF surrounding homelessness Additional funding within VA for HUD-VASH vouchers and for rapid re-housing through the SSVF (Supportive Services for Veteran Families) grant Specific funding from the state of CA to address the homelessness crisis amongst veterans through VHHP (Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention program) but this funding is across the state not just for hard hit cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Awards up to 10MM to successful projects Creation of Navigation Centers General Assistance (GA) benefits for San Franciscans with no other source of income (or making less than the rate of GA) Creation of an encampment resolution team

Approach to Veteran Homelessness by Veterans Aid Main Office Transitional Housing Welfare to Wellbeing Operations staff that handle the daily calls to the main office from veterans in need Minimal beurocracy and intake documents to ensure the bulk of time is spent on addressing the needs of the veteran Immediate ability to get a veteran into temporary housing same day Knowledgeable staff that respond to veterans needs to ensure veterans don’t have to call or come back multiple times for assistance Access to employment and training resources as needed Substance use Counselor located at the main office Same day moves into New Belvedere House Veterans have formal and informal meetings with support staff on a constant basis; open door policy Substance Use Counselor comes to the site twice a week or as needed to meet with residents working towards recovery All new furnishings for a veterans permanent housing upon exit from the program Current program veterans assist exiting veterans move into their new unit A holistic approach that is flexible enough to respond to a veteran’s needs during a moment of crisis. Persistent, non-judgmental and respectful engagement with the veteran is required. Ability to offer immediate assistance in the moment. Formal and informal support networks are needed during the process of recovery to quickly respond to issues and problems as they arise. Connecting veterans to resources necessary to stabilize their needs such as mental health care and substance use treatment. Over a 90% success rate with very low recidivism rates

Next Steps: Figuring out ways of implementing the Welfare to Wellbeing Model within Swords to Plowshares Housing programs Ensuring client centered care from the veterans perspective Looking at how we work to close both the front door to homelessness as well as continuing to focus on those currently homeless Advocating for more affordable housing for veterans in general and not just those experiencing chronic homelessness Looking at policies and practices that may be contributing to a culture of dependence vs. self-sufficiency How to build resilience in our veterans