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Salvation Army program succeeds in housing veterans

Commercial-News - 4/2/2019

April 02-- Apr. 2--DANVILLE -- Three years ago it seemed like a daunting task when the Danville Salvation Army was asked to ensure that every local veteran had a permanent and stable home who wanted it.

"Obviously, that was the goal, but sometimes the list of veterans needing housing seemed so long," said Melissa Osborne, who has spent the last six years as the case manager for the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSFV) program administered locally through the Danville Salvation Army.

The SSVF program, which is funded by a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs, is available through the Salvation Army in six cities in Central Illinois and covers 30 counties.

But this month, the Danville Salvation Army and its SSFV program hit a significant benchmark in ending homelessness among veterans in Vermilion County.

"We're at a 'functional zero' for homelessness among local veterans, meaning everyone has been helped who wants to be helped while acknowledging those who don't want it," Sharon Sawka, director of social services at the Danville Salvation Army, said.

The Danville Salvation Army is part of the Central Illinois Continuum of Care that was recognized during a press conference Monday in Bloomington for effectively ending veteran homelessness in the 11-county area that the Continuum of Care serves, which includes Vermilion County.

"I was shocked," Osborne said of when she first learned that an end to veteran homelessness had been achieved locally.

"I was surprised because during his last term in office, President Obama said we'd have zero homelessness among veterans, but we knew it could never be zero because of the ones who choose to be homeless," Sawka said.

The Continuum of Care agencies in each of the 11 counties submitted data dating back to March 2017 that tracked the number of veterans in need of permanent housing, how long it took to secure permanent housing and whether the veterans were still housed.

In Vermilion County, it took an average of 29 days to secure housing for 66 local veterans in 2017 and an average of 36.5 days to house 79 local veterans in 2018. In the first three months of 2019, it took an average of 41 days to house 12 local veterans. Of the local veterans who have been helped, 61 have remained permanently housed more than two years later.

"It took us a year to gather and turn in the data," Sawka said.

Using that data, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Veterans Affairs determined that as of March 2019, all veterans in the 11-county area, including Vermilion County, had permanent and stable housing if they wanted it.

"This is a big accomplishment," Sawka said. "We realize there are veterans still out there, but they choose not to be housed."

"We had to be able to get them housed somewhere," Osborne said of being able to meet the goal.

"It has to be permanent housing in an apartment or a home or a shared living arrangement with a family member," Osborne said, adding that staying in a motel, emergency shelter or a place not meant for human habitation, such as a car, abandoned structure or outdoors, is considered "literally homeless."

Osborne and Sawka said their work doesn't stop once a veteran is permanently housed.

"We work with them with intense case management until they are stabilized," Sawka said.

In addition, Osborne maintains three lists: an "active list" of veterans who are deemed "literally homeless" and in need of permanent housing; an "inactive list" of veterans who had been on the active list in the past but have had no contact with anyone for the past 90 days; and a "housed list" of veterans who were literally homeless at one point but are now living in permanent, stable housing.

"The ones on the inactive list, someone from the Continuum of Care tries to contact them once a month to see if they're still in the area," Osborne said.

After a little more than three years of checking on local veterans, Osborne said it now will be easier to keep a permanent roof over their heads.

"We have people identified now," she said of the local veterans who may need permanent housing. "We know who they are, and we can keep track of them so we don't lose them."

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