WNY HCHV Story - VA Homeless Programs
Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.
Attention A T users. To access the combo box on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Press the alt key and then the down arrow. 2. Use the up and down arrows to navigate this combo box. 3. Press enter on the item you wish to view. This will take you to the page listed.
Menu
Menu
help for homeless veterans

Stay Connected with the VHA Homeless Programs Office

Sign up for email updates.

Subscribe
E-Donate
Veterans Crisis Line Badge

VA Homeless Programs

 

WNY HCHV Story

A Program Success Story in Ending Veteran Homelessness

Jump to Success Stories Involving:

Western New York VA Health Care System Team

The Western New York Health Care for Homeless Veterans Team, from left to right: Sean Lindstrom, Sara Coffey, Kristen Weese and Patrick Costello.

Reaching Beyond the Border to Bring a Veteran Home
Western New York Health Care for Homeless Veterans Team’s Story  |  Feb. 24, 2016

The Challenge

When the Missouri Veteran ventured to Toronto, he never imagined he would become stranded there. Lacking funds for housing or transport back to the United States, he faced imminent homelessness.

His VA caseworkers needed to bring the Veteran home quickly, but the now-international situation was as sticky as maple syrup. Seeking a solution, Blake Witter—a Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing coordinator with the Columbia (Missouri) VA Medical Center—phoned VA staff in Western New York, which shares a border with Eastern Canada.

The Fix

That was the right call to make. Staff with the Western New York VA Health Care System (WNY HCS) had already met with Toronto’s U.S. Consulate General to discuss how to handle this very scenario. And so when she received Witter’s call, Kristen Weese knew just what to do.

The Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program manager first called her consulate contact Ted Arzadon, who expedited a passport and bus ticket to get the Veteran to Buffalo, en route to Columbia, Missouri. The Veteran’s Canadian hosts also gave him money for meals during his travel.

Within a week, the Veteran arrived safely in Buffalo, only to be stuck again—this time stateside, as a snowstorm loomed, shuttering transportation service in and out of the city.

Undaunted, Ms. Weese obtained approval from Royce Calhoun, WNY VA Interim Associate Medical Director, to secure the Veteran hotel lodging for the night so he could safely wait out the blizzard. Her VA HCHV team—Patrick Costello, program support assistant; Sara Coffey, social worker; and Sean Lindstrom, community employment coordinator—updated his itinerary and secured food assistance for the final leg of his trip home.

The Result

The next day, the Veteran was escorted to the WNY HCS drop-in center for a hot lunch and meal gift cards.

He thanked the Western New York VA for getting him back to the United States, proudly wearing the souvenir Buffalo Bills cap and lanyard that commemorated his bilateral expedition.

So positive was his experience, in fact, that the Veteran has opted to stay in Western New York, where, thanks to the VA team, he now has a job.

“Buffalo,” the Veteran said, “really knows how to treat Veterans.”

Back to Success Stories Home »

cell phone icon

Make the Call

Dial 1-877-4AID-VET
(1-877-424-3838)

Access VA’s services for homeless and at-risk Veterans, available 24/7.

chat bubble icon

Chat Online

Homeless Veteran Chat

Confidential, 24/7 online support for Veterans and friends

Chat Now

cell phone icon

VA Medical Center
(VAMC) Locator

Locate Your Local
VA Medical Center Now

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can call or visit their local VA Medical Center (VAMC) and ask for a Homeless Coordinator. Use the VA locator tool www.va.gov/directory to find your nearest VAMC and call or visit today.