Lovell FHCC meets permanent housing placement target for homeless veterans in 2022

Lovell FHCC’s permanent housing placements far exceeded the facility’s target, set in February 2022, and is the highest percentage in the VA. Permanent housing placements provided by Lovell FHCC staff and community partners included apartments or houses that Veterans could rent or own, often with a subsidy to help make the housing affordable. Lovell FHCC Homeless Program staff also helped some Veterans end their homelessness by reuniting with family and friends.

These placements, along with placements provided by other VA health care systems across America, led to VA housing 40,401 Veterans nationwide, meeting and exceeding its national goal by more than 6.3 percent.
 
 “This goal was achieved through the hard work and dedication of our Lovell FHCC homeless programs staff, our grantees and contractors and our valued community partners,” said Dr. Robert Buckley, Lovell FHCC director. “The progress we’re seeing with ending Veteran homelessness in Northeast, Illinois, our area of responsibility, shows that we have the right solutions to end homelessness for all Veterans we care for.”

Nationally, the total number of Veterans who experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2022, was 33,129 — a decrease of 11 percent from January 2020, the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. In total, the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 55.3 percent since 2010.

Along with 13 other communities, Lovell FHCC and Lake County, Ill. were honored in 2019 for reaching “Functional Zero” for veteran homelessness under the national Built for Zero campaign. “Lovell FHCC’s Homeless Programs continue to partner with the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless to sustain this goal, in addition to efforts being made in McHenry County to reach the same milestone,” Buckley said. 

All of these efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the wraparound support they need to stay housed — including health care, job training, legal and education assistance and more.

A key component of Lovell FHCC’s outreach to homeless Veterans and Veterans at risk of becoming homeless is the facility’s Walk-in Center for Homeless Veterans, manned by dedicated social workers trained to quickly help veterans, including arranging for temporary housing if needed. After hours, social workers are on call to respond. The Walk-in Center for Homeless Veterans can be reached by calling 224-610-1148. It is located in Room 170, in Bldg. 131 on Lovell FHCC’s main hospital campus in North Chicago.

For more information about Lovell FHCC’s ongoing work to end veteran homelessness, contact Public Affairs Specialist Jayna Legg, 224-610-3132, Jayna.legg@va.gov.

If you are a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.

About Lovell FHCC: Lovell FHCC is the nation’s only integrated medical facility between the VA and the Department of Defense. It serves active duty military personnel, their families, military retirees and other veterans. Lovell FHCC, which is located in North Chicago, operates four Naval Station Great Lakes clinics and three community-based outpatient clinics in McHenry and Evanston, Ill. and Kenosha, Wis.

Jayna Legg, Public Affairs Specialist