- November 16, 2024
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The Salvation Army of Volusia and Flagler Counties has housed 70-80 formerly homeless Flagler County veteran families and declared the county free of veteran homelessness.
It is the first county in the state to be able to make that statement, said Salvation Army Volusia Flagler Development Director Joni Casillass.
“We are extremely pleased to report that,” Casillass said.
The Salvation Army, using money from the federal Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, worked in concert with the Homeless Solutions Task Force Flagler County and the Volusia/Flagler Homeless Coalition, reaching out to homeless veterans identified through the Homeless Coalition’s annual Point-In-Time count, then sending out teams of volunteers to check wooded areas for homeless veterans who may have been missed in the initial count.
“Now we’re in what we call ‘prevention mode,’” Casillass said. “Should any veteran or veteran family become homeless, we pledge to the community that within 48 hours we would have them sheltered, and within 21 days, rapidly re-housed in permanent housing in their own place.”
Veterans have to meet certain income criteria to qualify, and generally have to have been other than dishonorably discharged; the organization can help determine whether the veteran qualifies.
The program to end veteran homelessness in the county works on a model which quickly places homeless people in secure permanent housing before addressing other needs like employment or substance abuse counseling, said Milissa Extrom, of the Homeless Solutions task Force of Flagler County.
“You put them in housing first so they’re off the street, then you start to wrap around the services they need,” she said.
It works like this, Casillass said: “They can set up an appointment, or they walk in and we met with them right away, and conduct intake, find out what their needs are. ... If they’re homeless then we would put them up in a hotel, and make arrangements with a landlord to secure ... housing.”
That model is being championed by the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, which provided the Salvation Army of Volusia and Flagler Counties with a $410,000 renewable grant, while the Veterans Administration provided $3 million in “surge money” to be distributed in three installments of $1 million per year, Casillass said. Of that money, about 60% has been earmarked for Flagler County.
“A portion of that goes to direct assistance to the veterans for deposits, rent, transportation,” she said. “It could also be for various things that they need to become self sufficient. … It could even be for legal fees; some of that goes to pay our case manager,” who links veterans with local providers for health care and other services.
The Salvation Army has developed ties with local apartment complexes and landlords who will help them place veterans quickly.
Once veterans and their families have permanent housing and their deposit and first few months are paid, Casillass said, other organizations help them become financially self-sufficient, or provide aid to those who are disabled and unable to work. The Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program helps those who are disabled and chronically homeless.
At this point, the Salvation Army is focusing on preventing veteran homelessness by helping veterans in danger of losing their homes.
“We are really proud of this program, and it has just been a real honor to work with the VA through this SSFV program,” Casillass said. “It has been, in my career, unequivocally the most effective federal program in dealing with homelessness I’ve seen … because they give you enough resources to get the job done.”
