Spring 2014
Issue #177
Almost Home: Caring for Our Veterans
Veterans seeking help from community housing providers are told to go to the VA. But that generally means a Veterans Administration Medical Center—a health care provider, not a specialist in housing. It’s time for more coordination between the community development field and veterans groups, and many of the articles in this issue speak to just that, whether it’s CDCs learning how to better serve vets, a community land trust offering VA loans, or all the homeless service providers in a city working as a team.
Homeownership Counselors—And Organizers, Too!
Northwest Side Housing Center combines counseling and organizing to empower homeowners facing foreclosure.
One Veteran’s Story
Michael Powell’s journey from childhood poverty to military service and subsequent struggle with addiction is probably not unlike thousands of others who have served; but in listening to his story, you realize that somewhere along the way it may have become more complicated than it needed to be.
We Served Too
Women are an increasing percentage of veterans, and of homeless veterans, but their experiences of homelessness differ from their male counterparts, and so must the solutions.
Implementing Vouchers for Veterans
A look at what HUD-VASH supportive housing vouchers can do, from the perspective of one of the agencies administering them.
How Can We End Homelessness? Let’s Start—and Finish—With Veterans
We are so close to this goal. We should not change our focus before we meet it.
One Mission, One Stop for Veterans in Denver
Service providers come together around an ambitious goal to end veteran homelessness in the Denver metro area.
Salt Lake City Walks the Collaboration Talk to Serve Vets
When Salt Lake City committed to ending veteran homelessness, its agencies had to be willing to change and work together in ways that weren’t always easy—but were always worth it.
We May Be Small, But…
Small, Gritty, and Green: The Promise of America’s Smaller Industrial Cities in a Low-Carbon World, by Catherine Tumber. MIT Press, 2012
Economic Security First
Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir. Times Books, 2013
Vets Get Access to Land Trust Homeownership
VA home loan guarantees and community land trusts are perfect partners, but not everyone knows that yet.
Don’t Call Them Homeless Veterans
Opposition to housing for military veterans can be hard to fathom. But when it comes to our own neighborhoods, it seems many of us simply don’t want a military veteran living next door.
Short-Term Funds With Long-Term Impact
The changes that stimulus funding made in Lane County, Oregon’s homelessness prevention will last past the funds themselves—but they could have a lot more effect, especially for veterans, if federal funding continued.
Without More Affordable Housing, Veteran Homelessness Will Return
Federal funding to end veteran homelessness has had a real impact, but a nationwide shortage of affordable housing could make its success temporary.
Clearing a Path to Employment for Veterans
Veterans tend to have many job skills—but translating that into civilian employment is often harder than it should be.
Serving Those Who Served
Community organizations, including some that are not veteran-specific, are figuring out how best to reach and serve an increasing number of veterans in need.
Q: Do Section 8 Voucher Holders Increase Crime in a Neighborhood?
A: No! This is a perennial fear, but research shows that additional voucher holders don’t change the crime rate at all. However it does show that . . .
Ending Veteran Homelessness: A Goal with a Plan
The administration’s campaign to end veteran homelessness involves unprecedented cross-agency collaboration, a willingness to embrace new methods, and substantial resources. It’s a combination that just might work.