Q&A
Outreach and engagement with street homeless veterans
0:37:40
ยท
145 sec
The discussion focuses on how DVS and DHS coordinate to track and engage with street homeless veterans.
- DVS deploys to locations where homeless veterans are reported and verifies their veteran status using the SQUARES system
- Outreach can be initiated through various channels, including street outreach teams and citizen reports
- Commissioner Hendon notes that only a small number (3 out of 624) of homeless veterans in the recent point-in-time count were street homeless
- There is acknowledgment of challenges with individuals falsely claiming veteran status
Robert F. Holden
0:37:40
me ask the commissioners if we want to talk about some of your, how does DVS track or engage with street homeless veterans who may not be connected to services?
0:37:53
I mean, obviously they're not many times because they are on the street.
0:37:57
How does that work in the terms of working, coordinating with Department of Homeless Services or DSS with DBS?
0:38:06
Good
Lamarr Wheeler
0:38:09
afternoon, chair.
0:38:10
Let me introduce myself again.
0:38:12
I'm Lamar Wheeler.
0:38:14
I'm the executive director for housing and support services for DBS.
0:38:17
How we interact with and coordinate with DHS in regards to street homeless veterans, we have deployed to where their locations are, made verification that they were veterans through this Square system.
0:38:37
It's very handy.
Robert F. Holden
0:38:40
So social services contacts you or you you'll check-in with them It
Lamarr Wheeler
0:38:47
it can happen at different levels.
0:38:51
Street home street outreach can contact us directly or citizen contacts us and says, I saw a veteran in the subway.
0:39:01
If we are the first contact with that individual, we advise DHS.
James Hendon
0:39:09
What has to be said here, mister chair, is you have some bad actors out here who present themselves as though they're veterans, but they turn out to not be.
0:39:15
I just wanna call that out.
0:39:16
And so sometimes, you know, look, even at our point in time count numbers, we're only three of the 624 from that point in time count were street homeless.
0:39:23
And in prior years, we had less than 10 over the past several years of street homes in a given year.
0:39:27
And so there are times when you have someone who someone on the street may see this person and say they're a veteran, but you start to drill down, you realize, no, this is just someone saying that for whatever other reasons.
0:39:36
I just want to call that out.
Robert F. Holden
0:39:37
Yeah, but word-of-mouth sometimes with somebody who would approach them and just ask, or they might be wearing a veteran hat or they might, you know, that's anything that they can identify them is important.
0:39:48
We get them off the streets and into some services.
0:39:52
You know, given the many local, state, and federal programs available, how does DVS help veterans choose the most appropriate housing or service option?
0:40:04
Know, we