New York City declares end to chronic vets homelessness

[rangerrebew]

New York City declares end to chronic vets homelessness
By Leo Shane III, Staff writer 1:40 p.m. EST December 31, 2015
Homeless New Yorkers
 

New York City declared an end to chronic veterans homelessness this week, another both positive and confusing indicator for the six-year national effort to help the most vulnerable former service members.

In a press release Wednesday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the milestone as an important step forward for the city and the nation.

“The brave women and men who valiantly protected our nation abroad should never be left without a home,” he said. “Today, we have ensured that those in the veteran community who have struggled to find and remain in housing time and time again will have a stable place to call home.”

The designation, from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, signifies that “all known veterans experiencing chronic homelessness have either been housed or are on an immediate path to permanent housing.” Exceptions are made for individuals who refuse assistance.

MILITARYTIMES

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Federal officials define the chronic homeless as those who have been homeless for at least a year, or experienced four separate episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

New York’s announcement is the cap on a year in which homeless advocates touted major accomplishments in helping veterans get off the streets.

Leaders in a number of major metropolitan areas, including Houston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Salt Lake City, announced they have “effectively” ended veterans homelessness by putting in place enough assistance programs and shelters to quickly house any vets in financial distress.

But HUD data released in November showed that national efforts to help homeless veterans pulled only about 2,000 individuals off the streets in 2014, leaving almost 48,000 homeless veterans in America as of early 2015. White House officials had set 2015 as the target year to reach zero homeless veterans nationwide.

MILITARYTIMES

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Advocates will not know how close they came to that goal until late 2016, when estimates conducted next month will be finalized. Veterans Affairs Department and HUD officials have said they expect a significant drop from the 2015 figure, but have conceded it is unlikely to be close to zero.

New York advocates noted this week that the new accomplishment does not mean an end to all veterans homelessness in the city, but does focus on one of the most problematic segments of the larger issue.

HUD Secretary Julian Castro praised the progress and said he “enthusiastically anticipates New York City declaring an end to all veteran homelessness in the coming year.”

Veterans homelessness has dropped by more than 36 percent since officials set the goal in 2009. In recent months, VA Secretary Bob McDonald has said officials have been shifting from focusing on the 2015 deadline to ensuring a sustainable, long-term model to house and help veterans in need.

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/veterans/2015/12/31/nyc-chronic-homelessness/78126870/

[rangerrebew]

If NYC has solved the problem of chronic homelessness for vets, then Barack Hussein Obama is a Buddhist. 

[truth_seeker]

A fairly well known fact is that the 2/3 of the homeless are addicts/alcoholics and/or mentally ill.

During my near 22 years in Alcoholics Anonymous I have met dozens of them, both vets and non-vets.

As sad as it can appear, many will simply refuse help, or refuse to observe rules and requirements for said help.

We refer to our area as the best of the best, for recovery resources. Everything from Salvation Army, county funded detox and housing, private charity funded detox and housing, insurance funded detox, housing, recovery resources. A regional VA hospital too.

I have met several men that made the rounds. For example there is a mens' detox that is privately funded for over 60 years. Volunteer staffed by recovered alcoholics from the facility. They will take a man in for ten days. But there is a lifetime limit to the number of times admitted. That limit is placed by those recovered alcoholic volunteers. After so many times, they wash their hands of the individual.

Often though, before the ten days are complete, the patient will decide he is good to go. They know the next step will be other resources with strict rules.

They will have nothing to do with the duty to follow rules, etc. I am not being some hard-hearted unforgiving guy. I am just passing along nearly 22 years worth of observations.

Probably the least effective resources are publicly funded. They amount to salaried jobs, for overeducated "specialists," many of whom have not been through the agonies of addiction to alcohol or drugs.