Perceptions of Homelessness in Older Homeless Veterans, VA Homeless Program Staff Liaisons, and Housing Intervention Providers

Abstract

Compared with younger veterans, older veterans have less social support, greater employment and health challenges, and, perhaps greater motivation to change.

Roadblocks to Housing after Disaster: Homeless Veterans’ Experiences after Hurricane Sandy

“…Providing intensive case management, counseling, housing vouchers, food, and a reliable place to stay helps veterans experiencing homelessness to have shelter, structure, and support to assist them in their transition (Molinari et al 2013). The role of case managers in helping the three veterans who successfully found permanent housing reinforces previous studies suggesting that the services they provide-emotional support, information, advocacy, and guidance in navigating services-may be critical in getting homeless clients housed (Zlotnick et al 2013).…”

“…The three veterans who successfully exited homelessness all benefitted from support from others, including family, VA transitional housing, and VA social networks and services. The experiences of the two veterans housed in transitional housing underscore prior research suggesting that the supports offered in transitional housing are enormously beneficial in helping homeless individuals, particularly veterans, to transition into stable housing (Bassuk and Geller 2006;Molinari et al 2013;Nelson et al 2007).…”

“…Unsheltered homeless individuals often face barriers in finding stable housing because they spend much of the day figuring out how to get into a shelter, acquire food, or find a safe sleeping place (Settembrino 2017a). Transitional housing addresses this challenge by offering daily consistent shelter, structure, and support, allowing them to redirect their energies toward acquiring long-term skills and tools needed to move toward self-sufficiency and finding a permanent place to live (Molinari et al 2013). Research on these programs has found that the support they offer is enormously beneficial in helping homeless individuals, including veterans, transition into and remain in stable housing (Bassuk and Geller 2006;Molinari et al 2013;Nelson et al 2007).…”

“…Transitional housing addresses this challenge by offering daily consistent shelter, structure, and support, allowing them to redirect their energies toward acquiring long-term skills and tools needed to move toward self-sufficiency and finding a permanent place to live (Molinari et al 2013). Research on these programs has found that the support they offer is enormously beneficial in helping homeless individuals, including veterans, transition into and remain in stable housing (Bassuk and Geller 2006;Molinari et al 2013;Nelson et al 2007). Studies have also found that case managers are essential for helping homeless individuals navigate housing assistance and the overall social service system (Zlotnick et al 2013).…”

“…Research has also found that substantial assistance from family and close others can play an important role for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in their efforts to move toward becoming stably housed or simply in coping every day and becoming self sufficient. Social networks and critical assistance from family and close others provide a safety net and vital assistance during episodes of homelessness (Letiecq et al 1998;Meadows-Oliver 2005;Molinari et al 2013;van den Berk-Clark and McGuire 2013). The absence of a robust social support network is often linked to chronic homelessness, for example, more than one episode of homelessness and more total time homeless (van den Berk-Clark and McGuire 2013).…”