About the Chairman | About the Committee | Committee News | Committee Hearings | Committee Documents | Committee Legislation | VA Benefits | VA Health Care | Veterans' Links | Democrat's Home Page | Contact the Committee

TESTIMONY BY

9 MARCH 2000

Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you and comment on the progress we are making toward ending homelessness among our nation’s veterans. As Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and as Vice President of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) I am proud to tell you that we are no longer in the shadows of despair and uncertainty as to how to deal with the homeless veterans’ issue. Today we stand together with this Congress and its leaders on a threshold of new opportunity to realistically pursue the NCHV policy goal of ending homelessness among America’s veterans.

Just a few, short years ago, our Coalition members came together to share ideas and dreams of how we might make a difference. This week, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the founding of NCHV we are sharing our stories of success and our plans to duplicate this success throughout the country. Literally from coast to coast, we have achieved a track record of success that proves our belief that helping homeless veterans is not mission impossible. It can be done, we are doing it, and the time is at hand to build upon this record.

The development of collaborative, community based, continuum of care models is at the heart of the success of each of our members’ programs. We are proving that the funding of programs like this is the best investment that can be made toward ending homelessness.

Two examples of sound investment are the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) and the VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. These veterans’ unique funding streams undoubtedly bring the highest return for investment than any other federal spending for homelessness. Grantees are able to make the best of both worlds by blending these federal programs into the collaborative community-based model. The outcomes that result come at a fraction of the cost of independent, non collaborative programs such as the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and VA domiciliary treatment.

We have also proved that having programs like this designed exclusively for veterans not only make sense, but they also produce higher success rates than other models. This may come as a surprise to some, but there are several reasons why we should have better outcomes.

First, and most important, is the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) health care system. This unique resource is key for many homeless veterans’ ability to gain and hold employment. Sustaining employment is the difference between success and failure. The collaborative model depends on having a dedicated link to VA health care to be able to deal with whatever physical or mental health issues exist. The recent trend of outreach by the VA is the most positive development we’ve seen. But we need to go farther. The VA should formalize long-term strategic plans that will dedicate funding of homeless veterans’ services. We suggest that Congress request a reporting by each Medical Center the current level of service and what plans each Center has to build comprehensive services for homeless veterans.

We also urge the VA to restore mental health and substance abuse programs that have been drastically reduced in recent years. Cuts in these services are unacceptable and are a major obstacle to being able to expand our efforts nationwide.

Another area of potential advantage to veterans is employment. All veterans have experienced employment in settings that required self-discipline, reliability, teamwork, standards, achievement, success, mission accomplishment. They know what it takes to be a winner—they were trained for that. Our task is to retrieve and restore these habits, to enhance skills through training programs and to try to match the veteran with appropriate job placement. Again, there is a need to collaborate, and activate this key component of the model. Most of us have networked with local state employment offices that house the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), which are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. We have found that by bringing this resource into the mix of services we provide, and to actually blend it with the rest of the program, gives us the best results. I find it odd that this critical service to all veterans and particularly those at risk is a stovepipe delivery system that is separate and distinct from the mainstream of other veterans’ services. Attaining employment for homeless veterans is not a separate issue. It is a central issue to a process that includes many other components. We have to bring all of these pieces together in a holistic manner for the homeless veteran to succeed.

The National Coalition For Homeless Veterans is poised to assist community providers in the planning and implementation of the collaborative model by sharing its knowledge and experience. Unfortunately we do not have the staff resources necessary to do this, yet without this help, providers will continue to struggle with many difficult challenges. Pulling it all together is not an easy process. This is one of the reasons why homeless veterans are underserved by HUD. In most cases our providers need assistance in putting together a veterans’ program proposal that can compete effectively at the local level in the HUD grant application process.

NCHV urgently needs an appropriation of $750,000 to establish the technical assistance capacity needed to build a national network of service providers that creates the capacity to meet the needs of our veterans. NCHV is the only group that has the established lines of communication needed to do this, with grassroots organizations as well as all the appropriate federal agencies, veteran service organizations and a myriad of other national and local homeless organizations.

We have accepted the challenge of providing the leadership necessary to launch an all-out assault to end veterans homelessness. We are prepared to accept the responsibility of guiding others by providing the technical assistance needed to build local programs. I urge your help to give us this capability and I sincerely thank you for all of the support and resources you’ve provided us in the past that gave us the chance to prove this can work.

Once again, I am grateful for this opportunity to testify on behalf of my fellow veterans. Many of them are missing in action among the battlegrounds of our society. It is our duty to try to assist them.  

Back to Witness List