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Q&A

DVS's advocacy role and handling of veteran complaints

1:00:36

·

91 sec

Council Member Holden inquires about DVS's advocacy role and how they handle issues such as conditions at transitional housing sites. Commissioner Hendon explains that DVS is not an advocacy organization but assists veterans by connecting them with appropriate agencies and providing information about oversight authorities.

DVS is tasked with assisting and informing veteran and military families in areas such as healthcare, housing, benefits, culture, education, and employment
When veterans have complaints, DVS connects them with relevant agencies and provides information about council oversight and inspector general contacts
DVS emphasizes transparency by informing veterans about complaint channels, even for issues related to DVS itself

Robert F. Holden

1:00:36

Let's talk about advocacy and funding.

1:00:42

What issues, you know, when issues arrive such as conditions at transitional housing sites, What advocacy role does DVS play and how does DVS secure resources or interact with providers to make improvements?

1:00:58

So for us, we always tell our veterans and stakeholders we are

James Hendon

1:01:02

not an advocacy organization.

1:01:03

You know, by charter, we are tasked to assist and inform veteran and military families in certain areas from health care, housing, benefits, culture, education, employment.

1:01:11

As part of that, what we'll do is we'll say, okay.

1:01:13

We'll offer to connect that veteran if a veteran's complaining about something.

1:01:16

Let's say a veteran's complaining about conditions going on at DHS.

1:01:19

We can offer to connect them to our friends at DHS as far as, you know, Sonia and her team.

1:01:24

And let's say that veteran goes there and then they say, hey.

1:01:26

I'm still running a brick wall.

1:01:27

We then say, okay.

1:01:28

Here's the information as far as our members of the council who have oversight authority.

1:01:32

Here's the information for the inspector general also who has authority there, and that's what we do.

1:01:37

And it's not just a DHS specific situation.

1:01:39

In other situations, we've come into this where step one is to connect that person with the complaint to the agency directly.

1:01:45

Step two, if they feel like there's still an issue, say, okay.

1:01:47

Here's the council committee that have oversight there, and here is the inspector general group that has oversight there.

1:01:54

And that's what we usually do in these scenarios.

1:01:56

We've even done it for ourselves.

1:01:57

So we tell folks the HRA IG is a person that has coverage for us.

1:02:00

We make sure to give you give them your information too if someone has something that's about us so that folks can be able to exhaust everything available to them.

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Future plans and improvements for reducing veteran homelessness