Report of Activity for Homeless Veterans Committee

Proposed Goals and Activity Report for Homeless Veterans Committee Sandy Miller, Chair Submitted: October 2015

In my capacity as Program Director of Homeless Veteran Residential Services for the agency I work for, I work with Homeless Veterans every day, putting into practice the legislative initiatives established by and fought for through VVA.

2015 - 2017 Goals:

 Work in conjunction with VA to end Veteran homelessness by end of year 2015. o Current number is 49,993 homeless Veterans. o Assist local agencies across the country in setting up programs and initiatives to accomplish this goal. o Provide transitional housing referrals for Veterans experiencing homelessness to a number of programs across the country  Work on legislation revising the VA’s Homeless Grant and Per Diem funding from a reimbursement for expenses based on the previous year’s audited expenses to a prospective payment system based on a proposed budget for the annual program expenses, a change that is vitally needed if community-based organizations that deliver the majority of these services are to operate effectively. o Provide input through the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Annual Conference and Annual Housing Summit, outlining the methodology necessary to accomplish this. o Provide input to VVA Government Affairs Department on draft legislation, geared to accomplishing this goal.  Support legislation establishing Supportive Services Assistance Grants for VA Homeless Grant and Per Diem Service Center grantees and permanent authorization of the VA Homeless Grant and Per Diem Special Needs Grants Program. o Provide input for legislation through VVA Government Affairs Department. o Special Need Grants Programs continue to operate on an annual reauthorization basis. We have provided input to legislation to make this permanent and continue to face opposition; however, we will continue to push for it  Seek legislation to amend the eligibility criteria for veterans enrolled in the Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) so those veterans entering into “housing first” will be able to access this training for a period of up to 12 months after placement into housing.

Activities:

 Attend Philadelphia, Coatesville and Lebanon VA Medical Center Director’s meeting and Town Hall meetings  Provide input to VVA annual Congressional testimony  Meet with Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committee staff as necessary  Provide VETERAN articles  Attend all mandatory VVA National Committee meetings (Health and Gov. Affairs, Women Veterans and PTSD/Substance Abuse)  Continuously forward pertinent documents to Officers, Board Members, and CSCP via email  Participate in Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) training to better track Homeless Veterans through a collaborative effort between HUD and VA  Meet with, and will continue a working relationship with, Business Professional Women’s Foundation Homeless Women Veterans Committee  Active and ongoing communications with other Homeless Veteran Community Based Service Providers  Participate in monthly conference calls with VA Homeless Grants and Per Diem Office  Participate in Veteran outreach at the Membership Affairs Committee tent during Memorial Day and Veterans Day  Participate at the 2016 and 2017 National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Annual Conference and Annual Housing Summits  Present workshop at VVA 2016 Education & Leadership Conference

Respectfully submitted,

Sandy Miller, Chair VVA National Homeless Veterans Committee