~Ben Franklin

John lives in a U.S. Vets-funded women’s long-term living center in Long Beach, Calif., where she pays rent that’s partially subsidized. She lives with her teenage daughter and has been homeless since 2006.

During that very window of time, the homeless female veteran population has more than doubled, a new study says.

Using “limited VA data,” the Government Accountability Office report suggests that the number of homeless veteran women has risen from 1,380 in 2006 to 3,328 in 2010.

The study acknowledges the fact that the number of women veterans has doubled from 4 percent of all veterans in 1990 to 8 percent today.

The report states that the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has committed to ending homelessness among all veterans by 2015 and funds several programs to house homeless veterans, needs to take specific actions to improve housing.

“While the VA is taking steps–such as launching an outreach campaign–to end homelessness among all veterans, it does not have sufficient data about the population and needs of women veterans to plan effectively for increases in their numbers as servicemembers return from Iraq and Afghanistan,” the report states.

The GAO suggests the VA collect more detailed data on homeless female veterans, improve transitional housing while they await government homes and tailor safety and security standards for homeless female veterans.

Officials from the VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development “generally agreed” with the recommendations from the GAO, according to the report.

Veteran homeless counts, however, have never been an exact science. The Army Times points out that the data aren’t representative because “no government agencies consistently track homelessness among female veterans, which raises questions about the VA’s ability to help those women.”

John, who is now pursuing a degree in social work, explains that some of the female vet-specific issues that create complications in readjusting back to life include having to leave children upon deploying, dealing with family trauma upon returning and recovering from military sexual abuse.

John says that in her opinion, the top way to fight homelessness among female vets is to provide help in finding a job. She hopes for a tailored program and suggested an increase in recruiters who can help her find long-term employment that best fits her skills.

“Focus on us not as a group but as an individual,” John said. “Place us according to what we know — not just at any old job. And whatever I’m lacking, help me get the training.”

Barbara Summey Marshall, volunteer executive director of Steps N Stages’ Jubilee House, a homeless transitional shelter in North Carolina, agrees job placement service is a key way to fight homelessness among female vets. She’s seeking partnerships with veteran-owned businesses and agencies willing to provide on-the-job training.

“Women veterans are so high-functioning,” Marshall said. “We’re built to get things done.”

While experts are still learning about the unique challenges female vets face and the reasons they become homeless, the VA is being proactive in tackling the issue, according to Marshall.

“I’d applied for a grant and gotten approved for permanent housing for homeless veteran women,” she said. “The VA itself has been avant garde in terms of developing programs to do homeless outreach.”

Marshall says as the number of homeless female veterans has grown, she’s started to adjust the way her organization reaches out to help them. For example, she provides traveling support groups, bringing open ears to women instead of expecting them to come to her center.

Steps N Stages’ veteran housing includes the Jubilee House as well another transitional home and a permanent housing complex. Veterans stay at the living center until they find an apartment or receive a voucher for government housing and must prove they’re searching for a job by submitting a weekly report.

Volunteers make Jubilee what it is, Marshall says. The home relies on people who provide support such as pro-bono skill-based services and administrative help in placing veterans in housing. In addition, the majority of the volunteers are veterans themselves and are simply there to provide help.

Marshall said, “We need people who have a heart and can care.”

Courtesy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/homeless-female-veterans-jobs_n_1234017.html?1327602616&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

~Roy Croft

~Brian Tracy

A bill to force taxpayer-funded sports stadiums to double as homeless shelters is making its way through the Florida legislature this week. The bill, introduced by Republican state Sen. Michael Bennett of Florida, seeks the enforcement of a dormant 1988 law that said sports teams that accept public dollars to build their venues must shelter indigent people on off nights.

If teams can’t prove that they’re already complying with the law, Bennett wants them to repay the more than $300 million that Floridians have forked over for facilities such as the Miami Dolphins’ Sun Life Stadium and the Miami Marlins’ new baseball stadium. The proposal aims going forward to make teams accountable for following the original law and providing care for homeless individuals.

The politically charged legislation underscores the resentment that many feel about subsidizing sports stadiums while watching state and local governments cut needed services. Over the past decade, the public has shelled out billions of dollars for plush new digs to house their local sports teams. The bill arrives just as the Republican candidates — sometimes accused of ignoring the neediest of recession-bitten Americans — will be facing off in a Jan. 31 primary in Florida.

The idea of sheltering homeless individuals where exorbitantly paid athletes such as the Miami Heat’s LeBron James and the Marlins’ newly acquired Jose Reyes play at least draws attention to the problem, say homeless advocates.

“It’s an interesting thing to throw out there,” Neil Donovan, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, told The Huffington Post. “It’s a good litmus test to kind of respond to it.”

The coalition had written about the forgotten law before it re-emerged in the public eye. The letter noted that the stadiums would have to comply with the same safety standards as any other shelter. It also emphasized Florida’s desperation, given its estimated 86,000 homeless and 9,000 available beds.

A homeless advocate in Miami echoed Donovan’s sentiments. “It’s a great idea, as long as there are wraparound services that are provided to address the needs of any homeless population, such as screening, mental health treatment and job training,” said Ed McGowan, the CEO of Concept House in Miami.

The bill faces three more stops in the state Senate before it is sent to the floor, according to the Miami Herald. A companion bill in the House is also set to be voted on.

As the economy has weakened, so has the claim of franchises that stadium construction creates jobs and community revenue. Since 2000, taxpayers have shelled out $5 billion of the $9 billion used to build 28 major league stadiums, according to a 2008 University of Utah study. That includes the upcoming Super Bowl’s site, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The touted benefits for the public good have mostly not materialized, the study determined. Bennett, the Florida state senator, fumed over rich franchises demanding citizens’ money while programs for the poor continue to be cut.

But the taxpayers’ burden could add up to victory for society’s most ignored population. Said McGowan: “I think just our economic times over the last two or three years has made everyone look at homelessness.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/michael-bennett-homeless-ballparks_n_1232045.html?1327539538&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

The new card is for customers who receive benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), Refugee Assistance, and Food Assistance Employment and Training. The card has been distributed to new customers and as replacements for lost, stolen or damaged cards.
Beginning January 23, 2012, the new ACCESS lighthouse card will be mailed to customers who are still using the American flag card. These cards will be mailed to customers living in Florida over the next few months (please see chart below). Customers should destroy their old flag card and begin using the new ACCESS card. The ACCESS card is active and ready for immediate use and the PIN will remain the same. The American flag cards will be cut off in 90 days and will no longer be accepted after July 30, 2012.

Similar to a commercial credit or debit card, the new card will have an expiration date and will be replaced automatically every four years. Authorized retailers statewide have been informed of this change, and posters and fliers have been distributed through community partners and in DCF service centers.

Here’s some more information on the replacement from Meg Petroski, DCF Sr. Human Services Program Specialist:

“For the last few months, everyone who requested a new EBT card received a new “ACCESS” card with the lighthouse design. This was also issued to all new clients. Now it is time to replace all the other old cards so that everyone will be using the new ACCESS card by July 31, 2012.

Attached is a handout which shows when the new cards will be mailed as well as some other information about the new cards and the phone numbers clients can call to request one if they do not receive it by the time the last cards are mailed in April. They will be sent to the address on the EBT system and will be sent to all active customers. Their old card will automatically be disabled 90 days after the new card is mailed.

Cards that are returned due to insufficient or incorrect addresses will be coded as undeliverable in the EBT system. The client will need to call and request a new one, and give their correct address. We are hoping to get a monthly list of returned cards so we can check the addresses and reissue if it is our error. “Flag” cards for those whose ACCESS cards are returned will not be deactivated until further notice.

We are particularly concerned about our homeless clients and those whose addresses frequently change. Their card may be sent to general delivery and the client may not receive it as they do not know to be looking for it.

Therefore we are requesting that everyone share this attachment and information with community partners, storefronts, client relations and administrative staff, group home and treatment center representatives and others who can post it and spread the word about the new cards and when their county’s cards will be mailed. This handout can also be copied and given to clients who contact the agency through storefronts and partners.”

Questions about this should be addressed to Phebe Powell with DCF. Her contact info is:

Phebe Powell
Community Development Administrator
Department of Children & Families -Circuit 18
375 Commerce Parkway, Suite 101
Rockledge, Florida 32955
Phone: 321-634-3640
Cell 407-409-0050

~Kate Nowak

– Katherine Hudson

January 23, 2012
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Annual Point-in-Time Count
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Hello volunteers!

Homeless Services Network is still in need of volunteers to assist with this Friday’s Point-in-Time Count surveys!! If interested and available, please read the information below and click on the link for the Volunteer Registration Form. We appreciate your support.

HSN will be surveying 15 labor pools in the tri-county area beginning at 5:00 a.m. and ending at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, January 27, 2012. The survey is part of HSN’s annual Point-in-Time Count, which is always conducted within the last 10 days of January.

Volunteers for our labor pool surveys will go to a labor pool site, arriving at approximately 5:00 a.m. when persons seeking work are lining up. Informal surveys are completed until 7:00 a.m. (or until all clients have been interviewed).

HSN is hosting an optional breakfast for volunteers at the Denny’s in Orlando at I-4 on Lee Road beginning at 8:00 a.m. to turn in survey forms and share their experiences with coffee and a hot breakfast.

HSN volunteers will be going to more than 70 locations to gather data on the unsheltered homeless through a simple two-page survey form. The aggregated data is reported to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and is used by local governments, foundations, businesses and nonprofits to develop programs that serve the needs of the homeless in our community. The data is especially important when applying for funding for homeless programs from local, state, and Federal sources.

Volunteers are asked to attend a mandatory one-hour training session at HSN’s office at 2828 Edgewater Drive (downtown College Park) at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 26, 2012, where they will receive their assignments, get clipboards, surveys and directions to their assignments.

To sign up, please fill out the Volunteer Registration Form.

Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Jessie Figueroa at 407-893-0133 x107 or jessie@hsncfl.org with any questions.

Contact Information
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phone: 407-893-0133 (volunteers x107)