VA, community partners stand together in fight to end Veteran homelessness

As part of that mission, staff from the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, in coordination with local partners and the Missouri Balance of State Continuum of Care, recently took part in the annual, nationwide Point-in-Time Count.

“The Point-in-Time count basically is a literal count of all people who experience homelessness in the community on a single night,” explained Jennifer Lay, homeless program supervisor at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center. “This count is conducted in every community nationwide in January.”

During this year’s event, 4 team members from the VA facility in Poplar Bluff and their count partners canvassed the community looking for homeless encampments, while 5 others searched in Ripley County and 2 more combed Reynolds County.

Local police and sheriff’s departments are consulted before the count is started, Lay noted. “We'll ask them if they know of any homeless encampments. Or, we’ll go to health departments, schools, and fire stations and ask them if they have run into any encampments.”

With that knowledge, she said, the teams can seek out homeless individuals and offer help.

It's important for VA to be a partner agency with the Missouri Balance of State Continuum of Care, Lay said, “because not only are we looking for homeless individuals, but we can key into homeless Veterans to make that connection for them between the resources that we have, for the resources that they're in need of.”

Emergency shelter is a priority when homeless Veterans are located, Lay said. “If they are VA healthcare eligible, we can provide the VA contracted shelter program, and if they’re not VA healthcare eligible, we can still connect them with community shelters.”

However, shelter isn’t the only urgent need VA can provide for homeless Veterans. “Once we get their emergency housing need met,” Lay said, “then we can look at other services or resources that they're in need of. 

“Is it employment? Is it primary care? Is it mental health? Is it even substance abuse treatment? What are they in need of? We can offer all these wrap-around services to them because we offer them right here in house.”

The simple act of seeking out homeless Veterans, Lay said, has resulted in many positive outcomes. “You're getting your name and your information out there … You're letting them know that there's resources out there,” she said.

Data from the Point-in-Time Count, collected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, shows in 2022 there were approximately 33,129 homeless Veterans in the US, both sheltered and unsheltered. At the time, that number represented 6% of all homeless persons.

In 2023, VA Secretary Denis McDonough set a goal of permanently housing 38,000 homeless Veterans, and in a press conference today, he announced that goal had been surpassed, with the agency and its partners housing 46,554 Veterans between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31. Importantly, 95.9% of them remained in housing, surpassing another vital goal.

Also of note, data shows Veteran homelessness has fallen 52% since 2010, a testament to VA’s programs and partnerships in communities across the nation.

“I just think it's very important that we continue our involvement, and we continue going out there and looking for homeless individuals, and that we continue to get the word out about the services we offer and help this population,” Lay said. “Our community partnerships are very critical in this because we all work as one team in getting homeless Veterans or homeless individuals the resources they need.”

That team effort, according to John J. Pershing VA Medical Center Director Paul Hopkins, will always be a top priority.

“Homelessness is a reality, and it takes everyone doing their part to create a better community,” he said. “VA is proud to be part of that team.”

For more information about the homeless program, or other programs and services at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, call 573-686-4151 or visit https://www.va.gov/poplar-bluff-health-care/.