1. Transatlantic Practice Exchange 2018
Veterans Aid
London, UK
Tramecia Garner
Associate Director for Housing & Residential Programs
Swords to Plowshares
San Francisco, CA

2. Who We Are: Swords to Plowshares www.swords-to-plowshares.org
Permanent Supportive and Transitional Housing
Legal Services for VA related benefits and discharge upgrades
To include Justice Involved Veterans (COVER project)
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
SOAR: SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access & Recovery
Money Management
Drop-In Center
Employment and Training
Institute on Veteran Policy

3. Who They Are: Veterans Aid https://veterans-aid.net/
Non-profit Charity in London
Veteran serving agency established in 1932
Transitional Housing with onsite Case Management
Employment and Training
Substance Use counseling
Outreach
Permanent housing placement supports
Temporary Housing accommodations
Linkages to other services such as Mental Health, Detox, Medical care

4. Homelessness Amongst Veterans
UK: London
US: San Francisco, CA
In the most recent Greater London Authority CHAIN report from there were 7,484 rough sleepers of which 3% or 135 are UK Nationals, having served in the Armed Forces within the UK
The largest cohort that comprise this count are Gulf-War and current era veterans
There was no data to distinguish chronic homelessness within this data set
In the last Point-In-Time count there were 7,499 homeless persons in San Francisco of which 684 were veterans, about 9% of the total homeless population
Of the 684 homeless veterans 137, or 6%, were considered chronically homeless
Many of those homeless are seniors having served during the Vietnam Era

5. Learning Objectives Original Expectations vs. Realities
Original Learning Objectives
What I Really Learned
What are the barriers for veterans accessing affordable housing in the UK?
How do agencies address these barriers to get veterans off the streets? Long-term Case Management that will be needed during the housing search and once a veteran is placed into housing and are those available and sustainable at the levels needed?
Employment or volunteer opportunities for those able to return to engage in some form of work
Connections with other benefits such as food, clothing, medical, legal, and income supports
Harm reduction approaches to sustain housing for those that are not interested in ceasing their substance use or treating mental health
Social Welfare system in the UK and its role in homelessness
National Healthcare System
Actual small number of homeless veterans in the UK
Overall cultural aspect of homelessness in the UK
Prevention vs. Crisis response system
Veterans Aid’s focus on prevention due to the small numbers of homeless veterans in London

6. Governmental Responses to Veteran Homelessness
UK: London
US: San Francisco
Each local authority is responsible for rough sleeping in terms of having services available
This does create some inequities depending upon the locality same as urban vs. rural issues here in the US
Seniors are rarely homeless in the UK due to their system of care for those eligible for senior services
Universal Benefit system for UK Nationals which provides access to a Housing Benefit and Income based on various factors along with other benefits
National Healthcare system for UK Nationals which ensures access to healthcare for all
Armed Forces Covenant to ensure veterans and their families have access to services they need upon exiting military service
Creation of a new Department of Homelessness to address the specific challenges in SF surrounding homelessness
Additional funding within VA for HUD-VASH vouchers and for rapid re-housing through the SSVF (Supportive Services for Veteran Families) grant
Specific funding from the state of CA to address the homelessness crisis amongst veterans through VHHP (Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention program) but this funding is across the state not just for hard hit cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Awards up to 10MM to successful projects
Creation of Navigation Centers
General Assistance (GA) benefits for San Franciscans with no other source of income (or making less than the rate of GA)
Creation of an encampment resolution team

7. Approach to Veteran Homelessness by Veterans Aid
Main Office
Transitional Housing
Welfare to Wellbeing
Operations staff that handle the daily calls to the main office from veterans in need
Minimal beurocracy and intake documents to ensure the bulk of time is spent on addressing the needs of the veteran
Immediate ability to get a veteran into temporary housing same day
Knowledgeable staff that respond to veterans needs to ensure veterans don’t have to call or come back multiple times for assistance
Access to employment and training resources as needed
Substance use Counselor located at the main office
Same day moves into New Belvedere House
Veterans have formal and informal meetings with support staff on a constant basis; open door policy
Substance Use Counselor comes to the site twice a week or as needed to meet with residents working towards recovery
All new furnishings for a veterans permanent housing upon exit from the program
Current program veterans assist exiting veterans move into their new unit
A holistic approach that is flexible enough to respond to a veteran’s needs during a moment of crisis.
Persistent, non-judgmental and respectful engagement with the veteran is required.
Ability to offer immediate assistance in the moment.
Formal and informal support networks are needed during the process of recovery to quickly respond to issues and problems as they arise.
Connecting veterans to resources necessary to stabilize their needs such as mental health care and substance use treatment.
Over a 90% success rate with very low recidivism rates

8. Next Steps:
Figuring out ways of implementing the Welfare to Wellbeing Model within Swords to Plowshares Housing programs
Ensuring client centered care from the veterans perspective
Looking at how we work to close both the front door to homelessness as well as continuing to focus on those currently homeless
Advocating for more affordable housing for veterans in general and not just those experiencing chronic homelessness
Looking at policies and practices that may be contributing to a culture of dependence vs. self-sufficiency
How to build resilience in our veterans