Economic Growth United States Project #17101

A Heroes Helping Hand

by Center Point Inc

Project Report | Mar 19, 2019
Making a difference

By Miguel A Garibay , Vice President | Pia Villalon, Program Director

Most people don’t know that in our country, on any given night, more than 300,000 veterans are living on the streets or in shelters in the U.S.

Returning veterans who become homeless due to mental health problems or economic hardship are also becoming more common in homeless populations. Despite numerous media stories about homeless veterans and the problems they face, actual studies exploring the incidence and causes of veteran homelessness remain scarce.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 9% being female. The majority are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans.

Roughly 45% of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population, respectively.
Homeless veterans are younger on average than the total veteran population. Approximately 9% are between the ages of 18 and 30, and 41% are between the ages of 31 and 50. Conversely, only 5% of all veterans are between the ages of 18 and 30, and less than 23% are between 31 and 50.
America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq (OEF/OIF), and the military’s anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. Nearly half of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam era. Two-thirds served our country for at least three years, and one-third were stationed in a war zone.
About 1.4 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

With your support to our project, we are contributing to change this problem in our community and making a difference in the lives of our heroes.

Client Success Story

Jamal was in the US Marine Corp for four years and served in the Persian Gulf War. Jamal was referred to Texas Center Point (TCP) Veterans Services in November of 2018 by a Dept. of VA Social Worker. Our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Employment Specialist reached out to Jamal, completed the screening and enrolment process within two weeks. Jamal received our wrap-around services that eventually assisted him in landing a job within one month from the enrollment. Those wrap-around services included but were not limited to – job readiness skills training; financial literacy; uniform assistance; gift cards; and bus passes.

Gift Cards and Transportation Assistance (Gas Cards/Bus Passes)

Since August of 2018, TCP has issued approximately 65 Gift Cards towards food items, shoes and uniforms, and toiletries. TCP also issued approximately 40 Gas Cards and 35 Bus Passes to support clients with transportation services to and from their job interviews, employment, and doctor appointments.

Clients

TCP has currently served approximately 200 clients for this fiscal 2018-2019.

Checks from TVC

TCP has issued approximately 140 checks for various financial assistance (rent payment w/ notice to vacate or eviction notice; security deposits for homeless or at-risk homeless individuals; vehicle repair; vehicle registration; utility payment w/ cut-off notice). The YTD outcome of financial assistance currently stands at approximately $79,178.00.

As you can see with your support to our program, we were able to provide immediate assistance and help stabilize our heroes until we connect them to services or help them in reconnecting with their community.

We are proud to have you as our partner in this effort and we hope you continue to support us in changing lives and connecting communities.

Links:

Texas Center Point

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Dec 18, 2018
Happy Holidays

By Miguel Garibay | Vice President of Administration and Operations

One of our clients received new tools

Dear Friends,

Thank all of you for your support this year. Your donations have made a tremendous impact on the lives of the clients we serve.

The Veterans and their families who usually visit our Texas Center Point Veterans Program represent a variety of needs as diverse as the veterans themselves. Some seek employment assistance. Some require mental health treatment to help them fully reintegrate into civilian society. Some need help finding affordable housing options for themselves and their families. These issues are just a few of those addressed by the Texas Center Point Veterans Program.

Your donations make it possible for our program to offer essential services that support the individuals who stood up when their country needed them. Of the veterans participating in our programs during 2017-2018, thirty-nine percent (39%) had served in the Gulf Wars. Significantly, the percentage who served in the Gulf War and were enrolled in 2017-18 increased to 60%. This can be attributed to an overall increase in the numbers of active service members transitioning to veteran status, the reduction in forces in Iraq and Afghanistan (reducing re-enlistment) and an increase in the number of Gulf War veterans experiencing homelessness, unemployment, trauma, substance abuse, mental health problems, and social displacement.

As our troops return home, Center Point strives to be a leader in innovative programs that empower our evolving veteran population with the tools they need to become self-sufficient. We hope you continue to support us and partner with us on making a difference in the lives of our heroes and their families.

Wishing you and yours all the magic of this Holiday Season!

Clients Holiday Dinner

Client with his new Chef Uniform

Links:

TEXAS CPI Veterans Program

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Sep 7, 2018
We care!

By Miguel Garibay | Vice President

Dear Friends,

Let me start by saying, we want to thank you for your support. GlobalGiving Donors have been very beneficial for Center Point in this new era of social media and web fundraising. The work that we do at Center Point is unique and special, but also serious and important. We touch people lives, and you are part of this effort. Whether these veterans are recently returning from deployment, looking for new employment, or having issues with mental health or sometimes, even homeless with their children, Center Point is here to help. Our services facilitate the process of reintegration by helping both men and women veterans reclaim self-worth and dignity. Equipped with new skills for living and working, and assistance with employment and housing, Center Point program participants return to their communities ready to assume responsibility for themselves and others.

Center Point’s GlobalGiving project is focused on our Texas Veterans Program. It is amazing to the watch the work that our staff is doing in helping our veterans. I am honored to say your donations have been and will continue to be essential in helping our Veterans succeed.

Although our program home base is in Austin, Texas, our services are extended to underserved veterans in the surrounding areas of Travis, Bell, Williamson, and Bastrop counties. Most of the veterans we serve live well below the federal poverty line and are unfortunately unemployed and/or homeless.

Often the veterans we serve do not have clothing for job interviews or clothing for the day-to-day living. Also, the majority of our women veterans lack or do not have adequate personal items to be able to present themselves for employment, clothing being a huge part of this need.

We have also assisted a good number of participants with rent deposits, and emergency rental assistance as homelessness is becoming a big issue among our veterans. At least four people received assistance every week! That is 16 more families a month that get to escape homelessness. This is a gift of more than just funds; it is a gift of hope. A hope that you have made possible for us to give week after week.

For female veterans, homelessness is an especially dire predicament. They are more likely to be without a partner and therefore single parents, sharing this extreme hardship with the most vulnerable in our society — young children.

There is no place for our Heroes or their families on the streets using cardboard for a bed, taking shelter under scaffolding, now wearing rags in place of the uniform they once wore with pride. As a nation and as individuals we have a responsibility to protect those who once protected us. Your donations combined with our work are making the difference preventing our veterans and their families from spiraling into the abyss.

Why do we do this work, because we care and we know you do too!

We want to share with you these FACTS about the Veterans we serve:

Veterans are people who served in the military (US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard) in times of war or peace.
In 2013 there were 38,140 veterans who served through all the World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War eras. You too can help a veteran share their experience in service which helps to combat feelings of isolation. Please Sign up for Soldier Statements.
In the United States, Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 every year, the same day that World War I hostilities formally ended (at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month).
Veterans Day, which pays tribute to all veterans, living or dead, differs from Memorial Day during which we pay tribute to those who lost their lives in combat.
There are currently over 2 million female veterans in the United States.
Three states are home to more than a million veterans: California (1.8 million), Florida (1.5 million), and Texas (1.7 million).
The unemployment rate of post-9/11 veterans (aka “Gulf War-era II veterans”) is 6.2%.
Nearly 10 million veterans are age 65 or older.
Veterans make up 12% of the adult homeless population.
70% of homeless veterans suffer from substance abuse, while 50% experience mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which make it harder to maintain healthy relationships and hold down a job.
Many homeless veterans end up living on the streets for 8 or 9 times the length of their deployments.

Thank you for your support, and we hope you continue partnering with us on this great cause!

Links:

Facebook Site

Attachments:

Program Brochure (PDF)

2 Attachments

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