The Colorado Coalition For The Homeless Creates A New Fund To Help Homeless Veterans And Their Families
Veteran’s Day November 11, 2009
Denver – I am John Parvensky, President of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. I am also President of the Board of Directors of the National Coalition for the Homeless, and the Vice Chair of the Colorado Interagency Council on Homelessness. 
For the past 24 years, I have been working to create lasting solutions to homelessness, both here in Colorado and across the country.
Today, Veteran’s Day 2009, we are sad to report that, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 131,000 men and women who have served their country in the Armed Forces will find themselves homeless tonight in America. Estimates suggest that twice that number may be homeless at some point this year.
Many other Veterans are considered at risk of homelessness because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, or dismal living conditions in cheap hotels, overcrowded shelters or in substandard housing. Right now, we know there to be at least 80 Veterans living on the streets of the City of Denver.
One out of every three homeless adults is a Veteran. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were 2,938 Veterans in Colorado in 2008.
Last year the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless provided health care, housing and supportive services to 946 homeless veterans. So far this year, we have served 1,060 veterans. This is already an increase of 12 percent over last year. And we think it will get worse before it gets better.
The ongoing economic recession, plummeting employment rates, and unaffordable housing are a powerful combination to withstand, especially when combined with the increasing numbers of service men and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
I firmly believe that those who have served our country in uniform should never have to return home just to trade the fight against our known enemies in war for a battle against the unseen demons of despair and hopelessness.
Therefore, today we are honoring our Veterans by creating a new Homeless Veterans Housing Fund. The Fund will be used to help those Veterans who are homeless quickly access the housing and support services they need to leave the streets behind, once and for all. It will also enable those Veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless due to eviction to remain in their homes, or to find alternative housing.
Working in conjunction with the Denver VA Medical Center, the Denver Street Outreach Collaborative, and emergency shelters across the state, we have established the goal of doubling the number of Veterans we assist during the next year. (Mark Jones, the VA’s Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program Director, Eastern Colorado, is here today.)
There is no one cause of homelessness. However the combination of the lack of affordable housing and the lack of access to comprehensive health, mental health and substance treatment services creates the perfect conditions for increased homelessness.
Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way. We know how to end homelessness in this country, both for Veterans and civilians, for families and for individuals. Let me tell you Omar’s story.
Omar, a Veteran of the United States Army, was homeless and lived on the streets of our community for nearly 20 years. During this time, his multiple health problems worsened due to poor living conditions and exposure to the elements. A Colorado Coalition for the Homeless outreach worker found Omar and set in motion a plan that included access to proper health care, housing, and a supportive case manager to work with him on future goals.
Omar told us, “I was used to looking for food and a warm place to hide out every night. I was tired. The Coalition helped me see a doctor, and figure out how to get an apartment…how to get ID, and pay my rent. I got a room at Civic Center Apartments with other vets and we talked to each other. That really helped me feel like I was part of a community again.”
Today, Omar lives here at the Coalition’s Riverfront Lofts.
So, on this important day of reflection, we can find inspiration in Omar’s success and that of the other Veteran’s who’ve joined us today.
We must all recommit to do what it takes to end homelessness.
First, we must expand Permanent Affordable Housing for homeless and very low-income Americans by funding the National Housing Trust Fund.
Second, we have to ensure that treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (and other mental health issues) is available and easily accessible, so that no Veteran slides into homelessness due to untreated mental illness.
Third, we need to increase employment training programs so that every Veteran who can work has access to jobs that pay a living wage.
In the United States of America, the richest nation in the world, we should make preventing and ending homelessness for our Veterans and their families a number one priority.
Therefore, we call upon all Coloradans today, especially other Veterans, to do what they can do to help us end homelessness for those distinguished men and women that have served in the Armed Forces.
If you know of a Veteran who is in need, they can get help by coming to our offices at 2111 Champa Street in Denver to meet with a staff member from our Community Resources Department.
If you can, help us reach our goal by making a matching contribution to the Homeless Veterans Housing Fund by visiting the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless website and clicking on Give Now.
Together we can make a difference.
Thank you.
