Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center - Houston, Texas

Homeless Programs & Initiatives

 

VA offers a wide array of special programs and initiatives specifically designed to help homeless veterans live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible.  In fact, VA is the only Federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless persons. Although limited to veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless-specific programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless treatment and assistance services in the country.

Hotline for Homeless Veterans 

VA has founded a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans hotline to ensure homeless Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. The hotline is intended to assist homeless Veterans and their families, community agencies, service providers, and others in the community. To be connected with a trained VA staff member call 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838).

Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program (HCHV)

This program assists Veterans secure safe housing reflective of their abilities and preferences and obtain desired skill development services. Treatment goals for each Veteran are individualized and may include immediate basic needs of food and protective housing; stabilization of mental health problems including substance abuse treatment and sobriety maintenance, individual and group psychotherapy, evaluation for financial disability benefits, vocational assessment, gainful employment, and schooling or a training program. The Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program has an addiction therapist working directly in homeless shelters, counseling Veterans with substance abuse problems.

The Annual Stand Downs bring a wide range of specialized resources together to provide homeless Veterans with comprehensive medical and psychosocial services. Stand Down can be an opportunity for the homeless Veteran to access a broad spectrum of services at one convenient location and to create a plan for re-entry into mainstream society.

Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program

The Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) Program provides medical care and rehabilitation services in a residential and therapeutic setting to eligible ambulatory Veterans challenged by medical conditions, psychiatric disorders, or physical injuries who do not need hospitalization or nursing home care. The mission is to provide an opportunity for motivated, at-risk Veterans to achieve his/her optimal level of functioning and return to independent community living. This short-term residential rehabilitation program allows Veterans to learn skills needed to live in the community and avoid a return to homelessness. Residents in the DCHV Program participate in a full range of rehabilitation services in a recovery model of care. Services include comprehensive medical and psychiatric assessments; “bio-psycho-social” treatments that include medications, psychotherapies for problems like addiction, depression, and anxiety, and social interventions such as vocational and occupational therapies; and opportunities to enhance one’s spirituality. The facility does not provide shelter-type housing; Veterans must be willing to participate in treatment activities while they are living there.

Supported Employment Program

The Supported Employment Program is designed to help disabled Veterans find and maintain competitive employment. This new model for vocational rehabilitation avoids lengthy pre-vocational assessments and shelter-type work experiences in favor of directly placing and supporting Veterans in community-based jobs tailored to individual preferences, needs, and strengths. Veterans are assigned to an employment specialist who can dedicate a significant amount of one-on-one time in the pursuit of employment, even if the Veteran prefers only a few hours of work per week, and in supporting the worker indefinitely after the hire.

Consult and Special Evaluation (CASE)

The Consult and Special Evaluation Program provides drop-in mental health evaluation in the Psychiatric Evaluation and Admission Clinic (PEAC); Behavioral Medicine services and Telemedicine with the CBOCs. The Special Evaluation area of CASE does Compensation & Pension Exams for the VA Regional Office and Neuropsychological Testing.

Comprehensive Mental Health Program (CMHP)

The Comprehensive Mental Health Program (CMHP) provides comprehensive treatment to Veterans with serious and persistent mental illness. This program treats patients with a variety of diagnoses, which include, but are not limited to psychotic disorders, mood disorders, and behavioral problems associated with dementia disorders. Family involvement is strongly encouraged since symptoms of these illnesses greatly influence family life. The CMH Program is a flexible program that allows Veterans to enter the part of the program best designed to serve their individual needs.

Trauma Recovery Program (TRP)

The Trauma Recovery Program (TRP) offers comprehensive treatment to Veterans with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a related disorder. This program provides a wide range of services to help Veterans better manage their symptoms. TRP uses a team approach because bringing together professionals from psychiatry, nursing, social work, psychology, and other disciplines allows the program to better assess, plan for, and treat Veterans seeking assistance.

Substance Dependence & Vocational Rehabilitation Program (SDVR)

The Substance Dependence & Vocational Rehabilitation Program has two sections, the Substance Dependence Rehabilitation Section and the Vocational Rehabilitation Section. The Substance Dependence Rehabilitation Section (SDRS) assists Veterans recovery from drug and alcohol dependence through comprehensive treatment which may include detoxification, case management, addiction education, relapse prevention skill training, support groups, urine, drug and alcohol screens, social work services, health screening, referrals for medical care and/or vocational rehabilitation, psychiatric assessment and care, grief , sober seniors, women’s support groups, and certificates of successful completion. Levels of care include partial hospitalization; day and night-time schedules for low intensity and aftercare, and alumni groups. Specialty opiate replacement (often Methadone) treatment is provided by the opiate treatment team. The Vocational Rehabilitation Section (VRS) is committed to assisting Veterans with psychiatric or physical disabilities reach their highest level of vocational productivity. The program helps Veterans referred by their Mental Health Care Line or rehabilitation team by providing vocational counseling, work therapy, job readiness training, job search, referrals to community resources including the Texas Work Source and the Department of Rehabilitative and Assistive Services (formerly TRC, the Texas Rehabilitation Commission), and Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR & E) at the VA Regional Office. Supported Employment services are available to Veterans with severe mental illnesses.

Services for Women Veterans

All the programs above serve women Veterans as well as men. In addition, our facility provides special mental health services for women including a Women’s Therapy Group and a Women’s Behavioral Health Liaison within the MEDVAMC Women’s Center that provides psychiatric evaluation and treatment. The Women Veterans Coordinators at the Veterans Outreach Centers also offer a Sexual Trauma Counseling Program (aided by the Trauma Recovery Program) and individual, group, and family counseling.

HUD-VASH

This joint Supported Housing Program with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides permanent housing and ongoing case management treatment services for homeless veterans who would not be able to live independently without the support of case management. HUD's Section 8 Voucher Program has designated over 10,000 vouchers to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) throughout the country for veterans who are homeless. This program allows veterans to live in veteran selected apartment units with a “Housing Choice” voucher. These vouchers are portable so that veterans can live in communities served by their VA medical facility where case management services can be provided. HUD- VASH services include outreach and case management to ensure integration of services and continuity of care. This program enhances the ability of the VA to serve homeless women veterans, as well as other targeted homeless veterans, and their immediate families. Evaluation of an earlier similar program indicates that this approach significantly reduces days of homelessness for veterans and most veteran participants remained permanently housed.

Veterans Benefits Assistance

Veterans Benefits Assistance at VA Regional Offices is provided by staff members who serve as points of contact for homeless Veterans. Homeless coordinators at VA regional offices provide outreach services and expedite the processing of homeless Veterans’ claims. The Homeless Eligibility Clarification Act allows eligible Veterans without a fixed address to receive VA benefits checks at VA regional offices. VA also has procedures to expedite the processing of homeless Veterans' benefits claims. Last year more than 25,000 homeless Veterans received assistance and more than 3,700 had their claims expedited by VBA staff members.

Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers Program **

Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers Program makes properties VA obtains through foreclosures on VA-insured mortgages available for sale to homeless providers at a discount of 20 to 50 percent. To date, more than 180 properties have been sold. These properties have been used to provide homeless people, including Veterans, with nearly 400,000 sheltered nights in VA acquired property.

TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program

(713) 794-7848

McGovern Drop-In Center for Homeless Veterans

1418 Preston Avenue, Houston, TX 77002
(713) 794-7533

OEF/OIF Support Team

(713) 794-7034/8825/7928 or FAX (713) 794-7767/7478
email vhahouOEFOIF@va.gov

VA Network Telecare Center (Nurse Hotline)

This 24 hour, 7 day a week hotline will assist you with a wide variety of medical problems and concerns.
(713) 794-8985 or toll free 1-800-639-5137

Houston VA Regional Office

6900 Almeda Road, Houston, TX 77030
(713) 383-1999 or toll free 1-800-827-1000

City of Houston Help for Veterans

http://www.houstontx.gov/vetaffairs/index.html *

Texas Veterans Commission

http://www.tvc.state.tx.us/ *

Overview of Homelessness in Veterans:

September 2011

Less than 15 percent of all homeless adults in the United States are Veterans.  VA’s efforts have contributed to a significant reduction in the numbers of homeless Veterans.  Veteran Homelessness:  A Supplemental Report to the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress estimates that on any given night 75,609 Veterans were homeless.  An estimated 149,635 Veterans spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program over the course of the year.  Many other Veterans are considered at risk because of poverty, lack of support from family and friends and precarious living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

Right now, the number of homeless male and female Vietnam era Veterans is greater than the number of service persons who died during that war.  Although many homeless Veterans served in combat in Vietnam and suffer from PTSD, at this time, epidemiologic studies do not suggest that there is a causal connection between military service, service in Vietnam, or exposure to combat and homelessness among Veterans.  Family background, access to support from family and friends, and various personal characteristics (rather than military service) seem to be the stronger indicators of risk of homelessness.

Ninety-four percent of homeless Veterans who receive VA services are male and most are single.  The vast majority are single, and most come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds. About half of these Veterans suffer from mental illness and more than two-thirds suffer from alcohol or drug use problems.  Nearly 40 percent have both psychiatric and substance use disorders. Roughly 56% are African American or Hispanic.

A total of 20,184 Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND) have been identified as homeless by VA during the past five years.  The number of homeless Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan is increasing; but constitutes 5.5 percent of the overall homeless population.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the only federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless Veterans.  Each year, VA provides health care to almost 150,000 homeless Veterans and other services to over 112,000 Veterans through its specialized homeless programs.  More than 40,000 homeless Veterans receive compensation or pension benefits monthly.  Although limited to Veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country, offering a wide array of services to help Veterans recover from homelessness and live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible.