A Heroes Helping Hand

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Dear Friends,

We want to thank you for your continued support of our veterans.

The most recent PIT Count which is a national snapshot of Veteran homelessness showed that:

• On a single night in January 2017, just over 40,000 Veterans were experiencing homelessness.
• On the same night, just over 15,000 of the Veterans counted were unsheltered or living on the street.
• Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 1.5 percent increase in the estimated number of homeless Veterans nationwide.

Our Texas Center Point program remains committed to helping our veterans in Williamson and Travis counties in Texas and with your support we know we can accomplish that.

One of Texas Center Point's (TCP) most important goals for the veterans served in achieving self-sufficiency in order to maintain self-worth and dignity in spite of current challenges and past circumstances.

We are happy to share with you some success stories:

Kevin - was met at the Travis County Correctional Complex, during one of TCP's bi-monthly outreach providing job readiness training to the Veteran inmates. When released, Kevin entered a residential substance use treatment center, where he also met one of our Case Managers (CM) that was conducting an outreach at the center. Kevin was assessed for his needs and was enrolled in our program. The staff completed his IEP (Individual Employment Plan), and provided vocational counseling and discussed his short-term and long-term goals. Additional job preparation training was provided including job search, job referrals, resume writing, mock-interview, and communication skills. The CM also provided bus passes for job search transportation and gift cards for obtaining groceries. Kevin met regularly with the CM, diligently staying in contact. With the assistance of the staff, Kevin obtained a janitorial job with the Austin Airport Services. After completing a Coordinated Assessment designed for all homeless individuals and families in Austin, Kevin acquired housing at the Mary Lee Foundation, an affordable housing for individuals with disabilities. Kevin's file was closed at the end of the 2nd Quarter, and during the most recent follow-up, Kevin reports that he continues to be employed and maintains housing.

Tracie is a US Navy Veteran who served from 2000-2003. Tracie is receiving individual counseling from Texas Center Point’s (TCP), and was also recently enrolled in the Fund for Veteran’s Assistance (FVA) for Financial Assistance. According to Tracie, she needed consistency with the amount of counseling she needed, thus, she inquired about the counseling services offered at TCP and was enrolled to receive individual counseling with the Licensed Practitioner Counselor (LPC). During one of the sessions, Tracie shared that she was facing challenges with transportation in her newly acquired employment. The LPC referred her to the Case Manager of the FVA Project for a one-time emergency financial assistance to repair her vehicle. Following are the words of Tracie:

“I would like to thank Texas Center Point Veterans Services for helping me during my hardship. My car broke down right after getting a job. Texas Center Point helped paid for my vehicle repair so that I could keep my job. I thank Christina for making this possible, otherwise, I would be riding the bus losing sleep, or paying Uber to drive me back and forth to work. The staff I’ve met at Texas Center Point are very nice, professional and informative. Christina, Ewa, and Pia are easy to talk to – they listened attentively, and helped and supported me with my goals through motivational speaking.”

When it comes to making a difference in someone’s life, everything counts! Our project “A Heroes Helping Hand” has been fortunate to receive support from our GlobalGiving donors. We are very grateful for the continued assistance received by all of you during this year.

The needs of our program participants are many and critical. For example, this year our internal reports indicated that the clients we serve present the following issues:

•             94% HAVE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

•             72% HAVE FAMILY ISSUES

•             76% ARE UNEMPLOYED

•             88% ARE HOMELESS OR AT-RISK OF BECOMING HOMELESS, and

•             49% HAVE PROBLEMS OBTAINING VA BENEFITS

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.

This year, because of your donations, the grants from our funders and sponsors, we were able to:

1.            Help 203 Veterans with rental assistance (an average of $570.00 per person)

2.            Distribute 100 Walmart Gift cards (each one of 20.00 Dollar value)

3.            Distribute 100 ATV Gas Cards (each one of 20.00 Dollar value)

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:

• CP Facebook