Adm. Mike Mullen to speak at homeless veterans conference

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Holds Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 23-25
Posted : Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:26:32 GMT
Author : National Coalition For Homeless Veterans





WASHINGTON, June 19 NCHV-conference-DC

WASHINGTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) will hold its annual conference June 23-25 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. Representatives of more than 300 community service providers, government agencies and businesses will attend the three-day training event.

There has been a decrease in the number of homeless veterans each night on the streets of America, according to VA estimates, from nearly 300,000 in 2003 to 154,000 in 2007. VA officials credit much of that decrease to the agency's partnership with community-based organizations that help homeless veterans, approximately 280 of which are NCHV members.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen will address the attendees during the event's opening session Monday, June 23. During the last several years the Department of Defense has been exploring ways to improve separation counseling for service members to ease their transition back to civilian life and reduce the hardships some will encounter after exposure to combat.

Mullen will be joined by several notable speakers during the program. Representatives Bob Filner (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Al Green (D-TX), sponsor of the Homes for Heroes Act in the House, will also speak during the opening session, as will Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary Gordon Mansfield.

Peter Dougherty, VA Director of Homeless Programs, will participate in a lively public policy review Monday afternoon that will also feature Mark Johnston, Deputy Assistant Secretary for HUD's Office of Special Populations and one of the original architects of the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH). Topics that will be covered include the utilization of surplus VA property for transitional and permanent housing projects; funding of services for low-income and disabled veterans in permanent housing; and possible expansion of the two federal grant programs in place to provide assistance to America's homeless veterans.

Workshops will focus on providing supportive services to families of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan); early interventions to help young combat veterans reduce their risk of homelessness; developing homeless courts to help clients overcome legal barriers to housing and employment; and providing effective employment preparation and placement services to homeless veterans.

On Tuesday evening, June 24, the Grand Hyatt will host the Annual NCHV Awards Banquet featuring keynote speaker Urban Miyaers of San Diego, a blind veteran who provides guidance and consultation for disabled veterans who are self-employed.

As recently as the mid 1980s there were no federal veteran-specific programs dedicated to serving homeless veterans. Service providers, who realized a large percentage of their homeless clients were veterans, organized the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in 1990 to raise public awareness of the issue, and to advocate for more federal assistance to help veterans who were unable to access assistance through mainstream programs. Today, the VA and its community partners offer assistance to more than 250,000 homeless veterans and their families each year.




SOURCE National Coalition For Homeless Veterans

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/national-coalition-for-homeless-veterans,439963.shtml