DEPARTMENT: Human Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Melody Woosley
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness
SUMMARY:
This item provides a briefing and update to the Housing Committee on the status of the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In January 2015, Mayor R. Ivy Taylor kicked-off the local Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. The City of San Antonio is one of over 681 cities nationwide who have signed on to the challenge to end veteran homelessness. The White House announced the Joining Forces initiative, supported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness and the National League of Cities. The initiative challenges cities to end veteran homelessness to ensure that: no veterans are sleeping on streets; every veteran has access to permanent housing; and that communities have capacity to improve housing stability for veterans that become homeless or are at - risk of becoming homeless. Cities, such as, Houston and New Orleans have declared Functional Zero by permanently housing homeless veterans who would accept housing.
The City redirected resources to support this initiative and in February 2015 the City's Human Services Department convened a working group of local homeless and veteran providers. The group meets bi-weekly to collaboratively triage homeless veterans and coordinate case management. The Homeless Veteran Collaborative set an initial goal of housing 849 homeless veterans by December 2015. This goal was developed utilizing data collected from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and trend analysis of new veterans entering the system.
Major partners in the Homeless Veteran Community Collaborative include: South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH), Department of Veterans ...
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