Oklahoma City VA housed over 250 homeless Veterans in 2022

Last year, VA permanently housed 40,401 homeless Veterans nationally, providing them with the safe, stable homes that they deserve. This exceeded the department’s goal to house 38,000 Veterans in 2022 by 6.3%. Oklahoma City VA did its part, housing over 250 Veterans through Social Work services in 2022.

The Friendship House (pictured above) is a transitional living environment in Oklahoma City. The goal is to target Veterans who have the goals of both permanent employment and independent housing upon discharge. The program typically lasts 6-12 months.

While at the house, Veterans work with employment specialists, peer recovery specialists and Licensed Clinical Social Workers on their goals and often recovery from mental health and substance abuse symptoms. The house offers structure and program guidelines to help Veterans establish healthy habits to be successful on their own after discharge.

Nationally, the total number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has decreased by 11% since January 2020. In total, the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 55.3% since 2010.

Purchasing Mobile Medical Unit Van

“We continue to work with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Programs to expand our capabilities,” said Oklahoma City VA Director Wade Vlosich. “We are excited about our Homeless Primary Care Team expansion. Oklahoma City VA is purchasing a Mobile Medical Unit Van to provide care to our homeless Veterans.”

According to Vlosich, a mobile medical unit will provide VA medical staff working with homeless Veterans the necessary infrastructure to provide care and a community-based setting to ensure a safe and confidential space with proper medical supplies and equipment readily available. This will help to expand services and increase access to care for Veterans experiencing homelessness.

These Mobile Medical Unit Vans will travel to specific emergency shelters, transitional housing sites and homeless camps. Additionally, this will allow Oklahoma City VA to provide clinical care to Veterans who have restrictive movements because they are admitted to halfway houses or sober living facilities. This mobile van will also be used for vaccination drives and other activities to benefit Veterans’ overall health care needs.

The goal is to eliminate Veteran homelessness by providing shelter, transitional and permanent housing to Veterans to those who need it the most. Some examples are providing employment and different legal services through the Veterans Justice Outreach program.

Working with over 450 Vets in HUD-VASH

“We are working with over 450 Vets in HUD-VASH on permanent housing,” said Cale Powers, acting chief of Social Work. “We have 62 of those searching for properties in the area now. HUD-VASH has worked with the newly hired Support Services to Veteran Families (SSVF) Housing Navigator to identify new properties for rent. At the last report, the navigator had identified over 30 properties. As of Jan. 27, HUD-VASH has secured pre-inspections at a new property which has over 90 units available. Compared to the national statistics, we finished at 86% of our goal, and with SSVF’s assistance, housed over 250 Veteran in 2022.”

That permanent housing includes apartments or houses that Veterans could rent or own, often with a subsidy to help make the housing affordable. VA staff also helped some Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends.

Ensure that no Veteran is left behind

“While we don’t provide direct financial assistance, we work closely with SSVF which does provide resources,” Powers said. “They have the same income or financial limits as HUD.”

Coming later in 2023, the Oklahoma City VA will begin construction on a new Transitional Residence, increasing the beds by 50%.

“Oklahoma City VA statistics are comparable to the national averages regarding Veteran homelessness, but we strive to do better,” Vlosich said. “It is our job to ensure that no Veteran is left behind.”