Center For Excellence Serving Female Veterans and their Children

Transcription

1 Center For Excellence Serving Female Veterans and their Children

2 ECAL Veterans for Veterans, Inc. Yearly Recap In the year , Erie County American Legion Commander Raymond H. Caso, Sr. and Erie County American Legion Auxiliary President Anne M. Baglio joined together with the Legion, the Auxiliary, the Sons of the Legion and the Legion Riders to begin a legion Family project of Veterans helping Veterans. Our mission is to help veterans and / or military families deployed or home when they are in the need of new appliances, rent, food, clothes etc. At the Connecticut Street Armory in 2011 we collected and received donations of toys, food, clothes, and household items from various individuals, Legion Posts/ Units and businesses worth $56,000. Over a five day period we were able to help 548 military personnel and families. From we have continued helping veterans and their families with their needs. In 2014 we became ECAL Veterans for Veterans, Inc., a non-profit with an executive board of 13 members. Our current project, with the help of the Buffalo City Mission, R&P Oak Hill Development, Trautman Associates, and McGuire Development Company consists of permanent supportive housing serving female veterans and their children. We will make the new Women s Veterans Center at Villa Maria a regional Center of Excellence.

3 BCM Mission Statement Buffalo City Mission exists to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the poor through the demonstration of the love and preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

4 How we can do more! Since 1917, The Buffalo City Mission has been a non-profit organization for homeless and at-risk men, women, and children in Western New York. Last year, we provided 189,000 meals and 78,000 beds to those in need. Besides food and shelter, the Mission provides long-term recovery programs, counseling, spiritual enrichment support, work and life-skills training, educational assistance, and health care services. Our desire is to extend our reach to homeless female veterans in a bigger way, by working in conjunction with the American Legion. Cornerstone Manor, our Women and Children s facility on East North Street houses over 100 women and moms and up to 30 children. Cornerstone Manor is also a certified Veteran Center for female veterans. With our knowledge and existing staff we want to do more to assist our returning veteran women and veteran moms.

5 Model Of Excellence Cornerstone Manor 2 nd Floor Family Unit 3 rd Floor Single Unit Dining Room Provide 3 nutritious meals a day

6 Model Of Excellence Cornerstone Manor Early Childhood Program Skills for Life Education Center Health and Wellness Center

7 Fast Facts Based on the 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress for Veteran Stats: On a single night in January, on a national level there were 57,849 veterans in the United States, of the number 8% of homeless veterans were female (4,456). Currently through the 2013 Annual Report on the State of Homelessness in Erie County the total number of Veterans identified was 257 a 21% increase over Of which, 84% represented male veterans and 16% represented female Veterans. 92% of All Veteran s in Erie County come to the Buffalo City Mission for assistance. With no reliable data from the VA, we still believe there is a greater need beyond the statistics. Women veterans are up to 4 times more likely to be homeless compared to non-veteran women and male veterans. Approximately 45% of homeless veterans suffer from mental health issues, 70% are affected by substance abuse issues, and 40% of female homeless veterans report experiences of sexual assault in the military. Homeless women veterans are more likely to experience severe forms of mental illness compared to men, mostly because of higher rates of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The risk of death for homeless women veterans is substantially higher than for homeless women in the general population, especially among younger cohorts.

8 Fast Facts Continued.. About a quarter of female veterans in the VA s Homelessness Programs have minor children; finding shelters that permit children and offer a safe environment is a primary obstacle for homeless women veterans. The 2010 study done by the GAO found that over 25% of existing GPD programs providing transitional housing to homeless women veterans cited safety concerns as a barrier to service delivery. Homeless women veterans have traditionally had difficulty accessing housing services due to safety and security concerns. The 2010 study done by the GAO found that over 25% of existing GPD programs providing transitional housing to homeless women veterans cited safety concerns as a barrier to service delivery. Without gender-specific safety and security standards for GPD programs, nearly one in 16 programs surveyed by the GAO reported incidents of sexual harassment or assault on women residents in the last five year. In FY 2010, according to the VA, 77% of homeless female veterans were unemployed. One of the key factors for this larger percentage could be the lack of accessible and affordable child care. In fact, according to the recent FY 2010 CHALENG report, the VA and community providers ranked child care as the highest unmet need of homeless veterans from FY

9 Buffalo City Mission Support Model Crisis Support Stabilization Support The Dream DREAM Video Clip Stuart Harper Executive Director

10 Our Proposed Site 5

11 Our Proposed Site

12 The Building

13 The Building

14 The Building

15 The Building

16 B The Building

17 Child care Residential Support (laundry/storage) The Program Controlled entry area FIRST FLOOR

18 Community Dining Room Administration Education Crisis Support short term housing Wellness Case Mgmt. The Program SECOND FLOOR

19 Community Meeting Room Shared Living Area The Program Floor Mgr s Office THIRD FLOOR

20 Studio 2-bedroom 1-bedroom The Program FOURTH-SIXTH FLOORS

21 How many people are we helping predicted occupancy of 58 Adults predicted occupancy of 65 Children over 120 people at one time The largest project of its kind in the country

22 To work in conjunction with one another to provide an opportunity for our clients to live in safe affordable housing working in a career job that honors their gifting while walking in God s light