Collaborating with Community Agencies and Employers to Improve Employment Outcomes for Homeless Veterans

1. Collaborating with Community Agencies and Employers to Improve Employment Outcomes for Homeless Veterans Homeless Veteran Community Employment Services VHA Homeless Program Office June 28, 2017

2. Panel presenters • Dr. Carma Heitzmann, National Director, Homeless Veteran Community Employment Services (HVCES), VHA Homeless Programs Office • Anthony Love, Senior Advisor and Director, Community Engagement, VHA Homeless Programs Office • Curt Behlow, Community Employment Coordinator (CEC), VA Ann Arbor Health Care System • Glenn Osowski, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Vocational Development Specialist (VDS), VA Ann Arbor Health Care System • Bridget Kleinert, Community Employment Coordinator (CEC), Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center • Kevin K. Sellers, Community Employment Coordinator (CEC), Central Alabama VA Health Care System (CAVHCS – Tuskegee) COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

3. Poll question Are employment services integrated into your homeless program? • Yes • No COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

4. The Importance of Community Engagement & Developing Effective Relationships Dr. Carma Heitzmann, National Director, Homeless Veteran Community Employment Services (HVCES) VHA Homeless Programs Office Anthony Love, Senior Advisor and Director, Community Engagement VHA Homeless Programs Office

5. What is Community Engagement? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define community engagement as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people who share: • Geographic proximity,  • A special interest, or • A similar situation COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

6. Developing Relationships One of the first steps to developing strong community collaborations is….. Building Trust COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

7. Developing partnerships • Do your homework • Set clear expectations and focus on outcomes • Agreements (To do or not to do) • Level of Commitment and Collaboration • Shared Goals • Communication COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

8. Partnership risks • Conflict of interest (perceived or real) • Partner over promises/under delivers •  Partner goes out of business • Partner engages in embarrassing or illegal behavior • Staff Turnover COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

9. Partnership benefits • Increase Awareness   • Provide Access to Additional Resources • Beneficial for the Client • Mutually Beneficial for Organizations • Efficiency and Effectiveness COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

10. Poll question In what ways can you improve employment outcomes? • Ensure HOMES data accuracy • Ongoing communication with Veteran • Development of internal and external Employment Collaboratives • All of the above COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

11. Poll question Who should be included in a community collaborative relationship? • VA Employment Staff • Department of Labor • State Employment Agencies • VBA VR&E staff • Employers • All of the above COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

12. Improving Employment Outcomes through Collaborative Efforts Glenn Osowski, ICGC-II Vocational Development Specialist, HCHV VA Ann Arbor Health Care System

13. “Community collaboration has been identified as the single most effective means of enhancing the quality of and ultimate success of employment and vocational training programs and services.” -Department of Labor National Coalition for Homeless Veterans COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

14. CATCHMENT AREA - NORTHEAST OHIO COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

15. SUPPORTIVE SERVICES/SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT • The VA Ann Arbor HUD-VA Supported Housing Program, in conjunction with Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, and Veterans Matter, housed 170 Homeless Veterans in Lucas County in 2015-2016. • The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program, in conjunction with National Church Residence, Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, and Veterans Matter, housed 75 homeless or at risk of homelessness Veterans between October 2015 and December 2015. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

16. SUPPORTIVE SERVICES/SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT • In Fiscal Year 2017 through May: • 65.38% of Veterans exited the Ann Arbor Grant & Per Diem residential program with community, competitive employment (national FY17 benchmark for GPD3 is 50%). • 65.35% of Veterans were employed competitively while housed and receiving HUD-VASH case management (national FY17 benchmark for VASH3 is 38%) • VA Ann Arbor Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program partners with Neighborhood Properties Inc. for the Griffin Street Project where homeless Veterans who are living with severe mental illness receive service-rich transitional housing. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

17. VA OUTREACH TO Community PARTNERS • Coordinates efforts to: • Connect homeless Veterans with immediate “right fit” employment along with ongoing support services. • Place homeless Veterans into job training programs that enhance skills and lead directly to competitive employment. • Utilization of Federal, state, county, and city resources in service coordination. • This ‘No Wrong Door’ approach to vocational and employment services reduces the risk of duplicating services. • Convened a work group of key stakeholders to create clear access to competitive employment to ensure each homeless Veteran can afford to live autonomously. • Perform regular rural outreach. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

18. Lucas COUNTY VETERAN HOMELESS EMPLOYMENT Initiative • Veteran Employment Initiative Working Group Kickoff: • Included Federal, state, county, city, VISN, VA, Service Organizations, and Press. • Goals of the Working Group include: • To develop relationships between VA and the community. • To avoid duplication of services. • To develop vocational training opportunities. • To develop relationships with Labor organizations as well as with Veteran organizations such as Helmets to Hardhats. • To provide outreach to employers – focusing on locally-owned and Veteran-owned businesses – no temporary employment agencies. • To identify vocational training and certification programs – with immediate employment opportunities during and after completion of training. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

19. Lucas COUNTY VETERAN HOMELESS EMPLOYMENT Initiative • Initiative Working Group holds meetings monthly. • Rotate monthly meetings to community stakeholder locations – gets stakeholders out into the community. • Invite Veterans seeking employment and/or vocational training to the meetings to provide feedback. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

20. Veterans matter • Per the website https://veteransmatter.org … “Veterans Matter is the result of collaborative innovation integrating technology, housing and the community, with the medical, mental, and employment help provided by the VA that creates evidence-based results for our heroes in need: Returning them to domestic autonomy. Our mission is simple, house as many homeless Veterans as we can, as fast as we can to provide the fresh start”. • Collaborating to: • Provide on-the-job training for Veterans who obtain employment. • Purchase needed items such as eye glasses, clothing, and boots. • Fund Peer Support Certification (i.e., class, hotel, transportation, per diem). • Employer engagement. • Recruitment of volunteers for resume writing and interview skills assistance as well as mentoring. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

21. Case studies • Veteran living in Supported Housing • Addressing housing needs. • Participated in training. • Transitioned to full-time community, competitive employment. • Veteran participating in the Compensated Work Therapy/Transitional Work (CWT/TW) Program • Participated in CWT/Transitional Work. • Successfully transitioned to full-time community, competitive employment. • Veteran living with mental health issues • Participated in Trucking School. • Hired by local Trucking Company. • Trucking Company paid for Veteran’s training. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

22. Glenn Osowski, ICGC-II Veterans Administration Ann Arbor Healthcare System Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Team 419-360-5022 glenn.osowski@va.gov COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

23. Poll question Will Employment Coalitions and Collaboratives look the same at every VA? • Yes • No COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

24. Assisting Homeless Veterans with Employment - Hire MI VetCurt Behlow, LMSWCommunity Employment Coordinator (CEC), Homeless Program

25. Hire michigan (MI) VET

26. HIRE MI VET Goals, Objectives, and Process: • Outreach • Networking Events • Preparation Day (Prep Day) • Hiring Event Mission Statement: A community initiative that helps Veterans acquire meaningful employment. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

27. Development of hire MI Vet • Homeless Program Coordinator encouraged CEC to organize a Job Fair at the VA Ann Arbor. • Partnered with Department of Labor’s (DOL) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) and VA’s Therapeutic and Supported Employment Services (TSES – Compensated Work Therapy (CWT)). • Previous CEC provided information about existing community relationships. • Assembled a planning committee in May 2015. • Visited the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor and obtained support. • Sought out four (4) other partners, not just for the Job Fair, but for the development of a Community Initiative. • Community Initiative is currently in the process of becoming a 501c3. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

28. Community Partners HIRE MI VET PARTNERS COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

29. Community Partners • A cold call was made to the Rotary Club asking to present on the role of the CEC. • A Non-profit that works to help Veterans and other people living with disabilities. MAP has an employment program and is an HVRP grantee. • Provide venue and employer coordination. • HR Department provides job opportunities. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

30. Organizational Structure COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

31. Identified Gaps & challenges • Employers’ perception of homeless Veterans. • Committee members are volunteers. • Community Initiative vs. a single Hiring Event. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

32. Mitigating the Issues • Visiting committee members one-to-one to receive feedback. • Getting a specific time commitment from volunteers. • Utilizing committee roles and responsibilities for accountability. • Horizontal leadership. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

33. Outcomes • Employment • Onsite interviews • Opportunity for the community to support Veterans • Networking • Understanding of civilian job market • Puts a face on the job application • Interview practice • Research • Networking • Raises awareness of Veterans needing employment COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

34. Prep Day Data & Statistics COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

35. Hiring Event Data & Statistics COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

36. Website & Social Media Check us out on Facebook And our website: WWW.HIREMIVET.ORG COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

37. Curt Behlow, LMSW Community Employment Coordinator Veterans Administration Ann Arbor Healthcare System Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Team Phone: 734-646-7122 Curt.Behlow@va.gov COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

38. Poll question Can community partnerships help with the following challenges in your community? • Lack of transportation • Lack of work clothing and equipment • Lack of employment opportunities • All of the Above • None of the Above COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

39. Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) Partnership Bridget Kleinert, LCSW Community Employment Coordinator Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center

40. Description of GLA HUD-VASH and HVRP HUD VASH: • Approx. 4,700 Veterans, spread throughout greater Los Angeles County (4,751 sq. miles). • Multiple VASH teams, organized by geography. • Five (5) contract agencies providing VASH Case Management. Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP): • Department of Labor (DOL) Program. • Services offered include: • job counseling, resume preparation, job placement, and follow-up at 30, 90- and 180-day intervals. • Ensures receipt of essential supportive services such as clothing, shelter, referral to medical and/or substance use disorder treatments, and transportation assistance — either at the program site or at another community agency. • Is unique in their ability to use money flexibly to encourage employment success.  • i.e., if a client needs a uniform, tools, or a state license in order to gain employment, HVRP can provide the funds. HVRP PARTNERS: • Volunteers of America, Salvation Army, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), and 1736 Family Crisis Center. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

41. PROBLEM: HUD-VASH Veterans not enrolling with HVRP This assessment was based on: • CEC attended weekly HUD-VASH Orientations and discussed HVRP Grantees with both Veterans and HUD-VASH staff. • Veterans and staff were generally unaware of HVRP and the requirement to enroll prior to securing housing. • CEC worked out of the West LA VA ‘Welcome Center’, where homeless Veterans received walk-in services, from 10/2015 to 2/2017. Assisted Veterans directly and collaborated with other service providers at the Center. • Veterans and service providers were generally unaware of HVRP. • HVRP Grantees did not have an established relationship or line of communication with VA Homeless Programs. • While each agency had a referral form, those forms had not been distributed to VA Homeless Program staff so they were rarely (if ever) used by VA staff. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

42. CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS 1) Challenge: HUD-VASH staff not consistently educating Veterans on HVRP upon VASH enrollment, prior to obtaining housing. Solution: Include HVRP as part of HUD-VASH Orientation. 2) Challenge: VA Staff and HVRP providers have trouble exchanging secure information because VA staff cannot send sensitive information via unencrypted email. Solution: Each HVRP staff has been given RMS (Rights Management System) access, allowing them to send and receive sensitive information using encryption. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

43. CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS 3) Challenge: The West LA VA Welcome Center not including employment services for homeless Veterans. Solution: A rotation of HVRP providers now stationed at Welcome Center to serve any and all Veterans who come in requesting assistance with employment. 4) Challenge: 1,019 Veterans in HUD VASH program identified as “unemployed” or “actively seeking employment”. It’s unclear whether Veterans are connected to employment resources. Solution: Using the HOMES OR7 Report, use a targeted approach to identify Veterans who are unhoused and unemployed/actively seeking employment. Contact Veterans and provide education on community employment resources, including HVRP at the Welcome Center. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

44. HVRP ROTATION CALENDARWELCOME CENTER & VASH ORIENTATION COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

45. results Homeless Services Scorecard: • GLA HUD-VASH Employment rate has increased from 30% (October 2015) to 41.02% (May 2017). HOMES OR7 Report: • Number of “unemployed” Veterans was reduced from 1,182 Veterans (May 2016) to 949 Veterans (May 2017). People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) HVRP Manager: • “In collaboration with the Welcome Center, we have substantially noticed a higher increase in enrollments. Since we have participated in the rotation for the Welcome Center for the last two (2) rotations, we have enrolled 22 Veterans that qualify for our program. Out of those 22 Veterans, six (6) Veterans have been employed and two (2) have obtained their permanent housing, all of this in just two (2)months.” COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

46. results VA Homeless Program Staff: • “In March 2016, I met with a homeless Veteran who only came to see me to request a clothing voucher and declined to engage with services otherwise.  I told him that a Community Employment Coordinator and HVRP staff member come to the clinic one day a week and encouraged him to engage with them. I sit across the hall from the office that HVRP uses and I have seen the Veteran accessing their services multiple times.” VA Homeless Program Staff: • “In February 2017, I referred a homeless Veteran to HVRP who was living in a transitional housing program, had been recently released from incarceration, and was eager to obtain work. He reported feeling hopeless about gaining employment. Since February, the Veteran has had multiple interviews and was hopeful of passing a probation period to gain a permanent position. Being able to share with Veterans that we can connect them to knowledgeable professionals who can assist them with all aspects of the employment process has been such an asset. I hope that these programs continue to grow.” COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

47. results HUD VASH Intake Team Lead Social Worker: • “Since October 2016, our VASH Intake Team has been collaborating with HVRP agencies to provide Veterans with support in their employment search. Each week, our VASH Veterans are connected with employment resources and one-on-one support from agencies in the community. This partnership has empowered our Veterans to progress towards their employment goals while also gaining housing stability. It has also given our VASH team the opportunity to meet community service providers and expand our resource ‘tool belt’.” PATH HVRP Case Manager: • “Taking part in the VA rotation has had great results as we have been able to actively participate in our Veteran’s life. This collaboration has benefitted us as providers to ensure our participants have an accurate understanding of our program. We have been able to directly support Veterans who are eager to seek employment and provide them with resources while enhancing their employment opportunities. Moreover, I believe being able to network with others employees in the VA has served as a great tool and enriches Veterans needs.” COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

48. results Volunteers of America (VOA) HVRP Manager: • “As compared to our second quarter, our enrollment numbers appear to have been met much faster in this quarter by being stationed at the VA. We have also been able to increase referrals to other Volunteers of America programs such as SSVF, Emergency Shelter, and Transitional Housing.” Volunteers of America (VOA) Downtown LA HVRP • “William is a Veteran who enrolled with HVRP-LA during our onsite rotation at the Welcome Center. Our staff conducted an assessment and he was identified to have underemployment and homeless barriers. William worked hard with his Job Developer to create an Individual Employment Plan that fit his needs. He was provided with job readiness skill training that culminated by completing an Armed Guard training course. William is now employed full-time as an Armed Guard in Palm Springs, CA making a livable wage to sustain himself sufficiently.” COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

49. Bridget Kleinert, LCSW Community Employment Coordinator VA Greater Los Angeles Medical Center Phone: 310-478-3711 Bridget.Kleinert@va.gov COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT

50. Poll question How has community engagement impacted the Veterans served in your community? (select all that apply) • Improved employment outcomes • Improved housing stability • Increased transportation resources • Decrease in duplication of services • Better communication between providers and agencies COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS & EMPLOYMENT