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Birmingham VA joins community on city streets towards one goal

Social Work staff participated in the annual Birmingham Point-in-Time count in partnership with the City of Birmingham, homeless services in the community, and the Department of Housing & Urban Development.
Dr. Oladipo Kukoyi, Birmingham VA Health Care System Executive Director, (far right) and (left to right) Sarahtyah Wilson, Chief, BVAHCS Social Work Service, Dr. Stefan Kertesz, John Fadimoye, Caron Griffin, Dr. Donchelle Scott-Collins, and Ianthia Crawford participated in the annual Birmingham Point-in-Time count in partnership with the City of Birmingham, homeless services in the community, and the Department of Housing & Urban Development.
By Birmingham VA Health Care System, Public Affairs Office

The PIT count is a boots-on-the-ground effort to estimate the homeless population in a specific area.

The Birmingham VA's community partnerships and participation in the count play a critical role in counting Veterans experiencing homelessness. These annual assessments add to the effectiveness of identifying homeless Veterans and working towards ending Veteran homelessness.

Participants in the count cover the metropolitan Birmingham area, including Downtown, Southside, Lakeview District, and Red Mountain Expressway area. Anyone identified as homeless is provided information with shelter and recovery resources. Additionally, recognized Veterans receive vital information regarding VA's homeless programs, sheltering options that even include a home for Veterans under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program, not to mention health care.

"I was grateful to join our homeless program staff during the count," said Oladipo (Ladi) Kukoyi, Executive Director. "The City of Birmingham does a great job supporting the homeless population, and VA's homeless program joins our community partners to take care of our own—the Veterans who served our country. Whatever the circumstances that resulted in a Veteran's homeless condition, the VA has programs to shelter and house Veterans. This boots-on-the-street approach provides us a first-hand account of the homeless population."

We are committed to ending Veteran's homelessness, and the Birmingham VA and our community partners have effectively provided either shelter or homes through the HUD/VASH program to Veterans. The PIT count identified 18 new individuals, including one new Veteran.

The Birmingham VA currently has over 411 Veterans who have at one time or another experienced homelessness. Many are leading productive lives. The homeless Veteran program staff maintains periodic communication with everyone; however, 23 Veterans receive active case management from the HCHV social work staff. Additionally, the Homeless Primary Care team meets the health care needs of Veterans enrolled in the Homeless Program.

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