VHA Homeless Programs – Ending Veteran Homelessness

This month, we are joined again by Ken Mueller, Operations Liaison for Business Intelligence in the VA Homeless Programs Office to talk about the 2024 Point-in-Time Count results. Mr. Mueller talks about recent trends in Veteran homelessness, how Veterans compare to other Americans experiencing homelessness, and the causes for the 7.6% decrease in Veteran homelessness since 2023. Veterans who are...

This month, we are joined again by Mrs. Monica Diaz, Executive Director of the Homeless Programs Office, with the Department of Veterans Affairs to reflect on how 2024 impacted Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Mrs. Diaz talks about the major initiatives VA implemented this year and shares her thoughts on how effective leadership at every level drives reductions in Vetera...

This month, we are joined by William Snow, Senior Program Specialist in the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to learn the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. Mr. Snow talks about what the PIT Count is, how it’s conducted, and how the U.S. Government uses its insights to inform the work to end Veteran homelessness. Veterans who are homeless...

We’re joined by Jill Albanese, Senior Advisor and Director of Clinical Operations to hear the results of VA’s FY 2024 Homelessness goals! Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance. Closed Caption Transcript is available at: https://www.sharedfedtrain...

This month, host Shawn Liu, Director of Communications for the Homeless Programs Office sits in the guest chair to talk about VA Homeless Programs’ FY 2025. Shawn talks about how big the budget is, where the money goes, and what has been the impact. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (87...

This month, we are joined by Dr. Ryan Holliday, clinical research psychologist at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention, and Katie Stewart, national coordinator for Veterans Justice Outreach to learn about the intersections of homelessness and suicide risk. Our guests talk with us about why Veterans with a history of homelessness and justice involvement are at increased risk for suicide...

We’re joined by Jill Albanese, Senior Advisor and Director of Clinical Operations to learn more about VA’s new response plan for coordinating with local agencies during homeless encampment closures. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance. Closed C...

We’re bringing you a special three-part mini-series introducing you to Veteran homelessness. In Part 3, we provide you with overviews of all of VA’s homeless programs and services. Follow along with our helpful PDF: https://www.va.gov/hOMELESS/docs/podcast/Intro_to_Vet_Homelessness_Part3.pdf Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the Nation...

We’re bringing you a special three-part mini-series introducing you to Veteran homelessness. In Part 2, we provide you with information about the Veterans we serve, their demographic trends, and which subpopulations may need particular attention. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877)...

We’re bringing you a special three-part mini-series introducing you to Veteran homelessness. In Part 1, we provide you with a high-level overview of Veteran homelessness: what the definition of homelessness is, what the factors are that increase a Veteran’s risk of becoming homeless, and the progress to date. Follow along with our helpful PDF: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/docs/podcast/Intro_to_Vet_...

This month, we’re joined by Jill Albanese, Senior Advisor and Director of Clinical Operations with the VHA Homeless Programs Office to learn about VA’s One Team approach. Ms. Albanese talks about how homeless response systems operated prior to the One Team approach, what the approach is, and why it’s critical to end Veteran homelessness. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessnes...

This month, we’re joined by Drs. Marissa Sia and Sara Wong, clinical psychologists from the VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System to learn about houselessness among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Veterans. Our guests talk about cultural humility, the negative impacts of generational trauma, and why the term “houselessness” is a better fit for this community. Veterans who are homeless or at im...

This month, we’re joined by Masaki Hirayama, Health Systems Specialist with the VHA Homeless Programs Office to learn about unsheltered surge events. Ms. Hirayama talks about how dangerous unsheltered homelessness can be for Veterans, how surge events in late 2023 helped connect unsheltered Veterans to housing resources, and important lessons learned that other communities should consider. Veteran...

This month, we’re joined by Dr. Jillian Weber, National Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team (HPACT) Program Manager, and Dr. Aayshah Muneerah from the VA Oklahoma City Healthcare System to learn more about VA’s new mobile medical units (MMU) for Veterans.   Our guests talk about what HPACT does, what MMUs are, and how both help bring medical care services directly to homeless Veterans living out on...

News update! Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, provides an update on ALL INside, a first-of-its-kind initiative to address unsheltered homelessness across the country. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assi...

This month, we’re joined by Meredith Malpass, Regional Coordinator for the HUD-VASH to learn about Harm Reduction. Ms. Malpass talks about what Harm Reduction is, how you may already be using Harm Reduction in your daily life, and how it can help Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability better engage in their care. Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are...

This month, we’re joined by Karen Guthrie, David Martino, and Dave Chesley from the VA Boston Healthcare System’s Care Coordination, Advocacy, Treatment, and Connections to Housing, or CATCH, program to learn more about trauma-informed care. Our guest talked about what trauma-informed care is, how the CATCH program lives out trauma-informed values, and how all of this helps Veterans keep their pow...

News update! Jill Albanese, director of clinical operations for the VA Homeless Programs Office joins us with more exciting news about VA’s fiscal year 2024 Homelessness Goals! Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance. Closed Caption Transcript is a...

This month, we’re joined by Jessica Blue-Howells, Deputy Director of Veterans Justice Programs to learn about Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups). Ms. Blue-Howells talked about what CHALENG is, how feedback submitted through CHALENG improves coordination and services, and how you… yes YOU… can participate! Take the 2024 CHALENG Survey: https:/...

We’ve got a special bonus for you today from our sister podcast, She Wears the Boots. She Wears the Boots is a VA podcast sponsored by the Office of Women’s Health in the Veterans Health Administration. Women Veterans are a growing and diverse group featuring professionals, mothers, and retirees of varying ages, racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientations. She Wears t...

News update! Jill Albanese, director of clinical operations for the VA Homeless Programs Office joins us with more exciting news about VA’s 2023 Homelessness Goals! Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance. Closed Caption Transcript is available at:...

Bonus episode! In observance of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, we’re joined by Amy Ashcraft and Katie Papke, the co-leads for VA’s National Human Trafficking Prevention and Education Committee. Our guests talk about what human trafficking is, why Veterans experiencing homelessness may be at greater risk of being trafficked, and what VA is doing about it. Veterans who are homeless or at...

This month, we are joined by Dr. Keith Harris, senior executive homelessness agent for Greater Los Angeles with the Office of the Secretary, and Dr. Stefan Kertesz, a physician with the VA Birmingham Healthcare System, to learn more about Housing First. Our guests talk about what Housing First is, how VA has used it to cut Veteran homelessness by more than half, and why it’s become a controversial...

This month, we are joined again by Mrs. Monica Diaz, Executive Director of the Homeless Programs Office, with the Department of Veterans Affairs to reflect on how 2023 impacted Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Mrs. Diaz talks about the major initiatives VA implemented this year and shares her thoughts on how working as One Team is critical. Veterans who are homeless or a...

News update! Jill Albanese, director of clinical operations for the VA Homeless Programs Office joins us with some exiting news about VA’s 2023 Homelessness Goals! Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness are strongly encouraged to contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 4AID-VET (877-424-3838) for assistance. Closed Caption Transcript is available at:...