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From the Transition to Veterans Program Office
In collaboration with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), the Department of Defense (DoD) Transition to Veterans Program Office (TVPO), along with the Departments of Labor (DOL) and Veterans Affairs (VA), have developed an information toolkit that addresses and aims to combat veteran homelessness.
The toolkit provides Transition Assistance Program (TAP) counselors and military commanders (or their designated representatives) with guidance on how to screen transitioning service members for potential homelessness, at-risk indicators and connect those identified as at-risk to additional resources.
“TVPO, along with our partners at VA and DOL, have been in collaboration with USICH for over a year,” said Tamre Newton, Acting Director, TVPO. “One of the main goals of TAP is to ensure service members, and their spouses, are prepared for the best possible post-transition outcome. We recognize everyone has individual goals and will face unique challenges, but homelessness should not be one of those challenges.”
When one or more red flag indicators are identified, the transition counselor and the commander work with the service member to create a viable post-separation housing plan. If the service member requires post-separation support, a referral, known as a “warm handover,” is provided to a TAP partner agency. Warm handovers occur when the service member is personally introduced and connected to a point of contact within a partner agency, such as DOL or VA.
After a personal introduction between the service member and the partner agency is made, the partner agency works with the service member or veteran to achieve a positive outcome. Warm handovers are documented by the TAP interagency partner and flagged for follow-up.
In addition to the toolkit providing guidance on red flag indicators, it also lists questions for use in one-on-one counseling sessions and CAPSTONE, which is the last touchpoint in TAP. These questions facilitate the discussion and aid transition staff and commanders in detecting potential risk for homelessness.
Examples of potential homelessness indicating risk factors include, but are not limited to:
• No place to stay for longer than 90 days and in which they do not own, rent or are part of a family household.
• Unable to return to the stable housing situation they were in prior to entering service and the current option has the potential to be short-term.
• A housing plan that includes a hotel/motel stay at the member’s or veteran’s expense with no long term plan identified.
• Separation is occurring on short notice (less than 90 days).
• A housing plan that includes staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing, drop-in center, on the street, or a place not meant for permanent human habitation (i.e., car, tent, backpacking trip with no plan post-trip).
Examples of counseling session questions include, but are not limited to:
• Prior to being deployed, was the service member receiving any type of housing support or services? (for Reserve or National Guard only)
• Does the service member’s housing plan include staying with family or friends on a temporary basis until they determine their next step?
• Does the service member seem unsure or concerned that they may not have, or be able to maintain stable housing they own, rent, or stay in as part of a household for at least 90 days post-separation?
The initial pilot of the toolkit by DoD begins on January 1, 2019 at Army, Navy and Air Force Installations in Kentucky, Maryland and Nebraska. Feedback from the pilots will be used to improve the toolkit for final distribution.
For additional information on USICH, visit www.usich.gov
For additional information about the TAP, visit www.dodtap.mil
| Date Taken: | 12.14.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2018 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 303640 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 161 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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