Wednesday's Veterans Coffee Has Political Heft

On the heels of a major announcement by the Healey Administration, the Franklin Veteran’s Coffee on Wednesday morning, at 10 am, will play host to both of the town’s state legislators and the state’s Secretary of Veterans Services Jon Santiago. Billed as a chance for veterans to ask questions and get answer, both State Senator Becca Rausch and State Rep. Jeff Roy are also expected to be in attendance.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration on Tuesday announced a $20 million campaign to end veteran homelessness in Massachusetts. This initiative will include the largest, targeted investment to address veteran homelessness in state history.

The End Veteran Homelessness campaign – announced Tuesday at the New England Center and Home for Veterans in Boston – is a cross-collaborative initiative within the Healey-Driscoll Administration and federal, local, and veteran-serving organizations that prioritizes supportive housing, access to behavioral health services, capital investments to support veteran housing, and provides technical assistance to community providers. By leveraging “evidence-based strategies” and fostering collaboration across federal and non-profit sectors, Massachusetts aims to set a national model for ending veteran homelessness.

The goal behind the campaign is to make Massachusetts a state where veteran homelessness rates reach a level of “functional zero,” a federal term meaning a system where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. It involves ensuring that there are enough resources and support services available to quickly identify and assist individuals or families experiencing homelessness, ultimately leading to their swift placement into stable housing. A number of Massachusetts cities and counties have achieved “functional zero” including New Bedford, Lowell and Lynn.

“This campaign signifies a monumental commitment to addressing veteran homelessness in Massachusetts," said Secretary of Veterans Services Jon Santiago. “Our mission is clear: bring veteran homelessness to functional zero and establish the necessary infrastructure to sustain this achievement.”

The campaign comprises of five pillars strategically designed to address the multifaceted challenges faced by homeless veterans:

• Homelessness Outreach to Placement Effort (HOPE): The HOPE campaign is an intensive, geographically equitable initiative to engage directly with homeless veterans and facilitate their placement into stable housing. HOPE seeks to better coordinate and fund veteran housing efforts across federal, state, and municipal entities, including increasing access to comprehensive behavioral health services and providing flexible housing assistance funds for homeless veterans.
• Capital Investments Supporting Veteran Housing: The campaign will provide capital investments to support acquisition, rehabilitation, or construction of affordable housing for veterans.
• Aligning Supportive Services with Veteran Housing Goals: The Healey-Driscoll Administration will allocate funds to veteran service providers offering supportive services to veterans experiencing housing instability.
• End Veteran Homelessness Advisory Council: An advisory council of stakeholders in the veteran, housing, and homelessness space, will provide guidance and support to achieve and end veteran homelessness.
• Empowering and Supporting our Veteran Service Providers: The Healey-Driscoll Administration will provide opportunities for technical assistance to veteran service providers to undergo efforts such as grant writing, strategic planning, operations, etc. This initiative will provide access to expert support to empower veteran community-based providers in maximizing their impact and tapping into additional sources of funding.

Veterans represent three percent of homeless individuals in Massachusetts. Currently, approximately 500-600 veterans are experiencing homelessness in the state, per the Point in Time (PIT) count. This is often compounded by mental health and substance use challenges.

In 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature allocated $20 million in ARPA funds to support geographically equitable investments in veteran housing. The End Veteran Homelessness campaign utilizes this $20 million to fund investments in veteran homelessness services and housing infrastructure, ensuring that resources are distributed across the state to address the needs of homeless veterans in all regions. Concurrently, EOVS, in partnership with Pennrose Construction is developing 220 units of mixed-income affordable veterans housing on the domiciliary campus side of the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea.

For more information on the End Veteran Homeless Campaign, visit mass.gov/endvethomelessness.