Veterans Response Team gives homeless Veterans a second chance

In central Alabama, the VA Birmingham Veterans Response Team (VRT) is changing the path for Veterans in crisis—many of whom are teetering on the edge of prison or homelessness. VRT intervenes at the most critical moments, offering connection instead of cuffs and guiding at-risk Veterans toward the care and stability they’ve earned.

VRT members, including Corporal Cornelius Rogers, Sergeant Timothy Yearwood, and social worker Kelli Amber, go beyond their normal duties to help Veterans living in a 13,000-square-mile area of central Alabama get a second chance to succeed.

Team members have forged close relationships with area law enforcement agencies, training officers to screen anyone they encounter for past military service. If they come across a Veteran, officers know to pick up the phone and call the Birmingham VA. 

“Traditionally, there seems to be a wall between VA police and outside police. The majority don’t even hardly realize that that VA has a police department until something happens,” said Yearwood. “Our first step was to get the information about VRT out there.”

Getting the word out is a top priority for the team. They regularly attend community events and meetings to build relationships and raise awareness about the VRT. They also offer free crisis intervention training for first responders working with Veterans in crisis; the next session is scheduled for Oct. 6, 2025.

VA dispatchers are trained to field calls from authorities, determine eligibility, then connect with the VRT, which uses connections within VA to quickly link Veterans up with treatment and services that may help them avoid incarceration, including:

• Mental health services.
• Homelessness support.
• Substance use treatment.
• Intimate partner violence assistance.
• Peer support programs.

“If it’s a situation where the Veteran has to go to jail and you can’t avoid it, we’re still asking them to call us because we can connect with them with our Veterans justice outreach specialist and some of the other opportunities that VA presents,” said Yearwood.

Even if the person isn’t eligible, dispatchers are often able to reroute them to community resources.

Making a difference

Since the program first launched in March 2023, VRT’s call volume has tripled. They’ve assisted nearly 125 Veterans. That’s 125 lives they have helped get back on the right track in a little less than two years.

Team members have stepped in when Veterans are having suicidal thoughts. They’ve completed welfare checks, tracked down missing persons, provided peer support, connected Veterans with substance use and mental health treatment, and gotten homeless Veterans off the streets.

Knowing they can have this kind of difference makes the extra unpaid hours and being on-call around the clock worth it for Rogers and Yearwood.

“For me, it’s helping those who served,” Rogers shared. “Most Veterans feel like nobody’s listening. But they don’t have to worry about that with us.”

Learn about VA programs 

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
• Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
• Subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.