Ending homelessness among veterans is a major priority of the Obama Administration, and strategic plans to meet this goal are therefore increasingly abundant. On June 28, the state of New Hampshire released its Four-Year Strategic Plan to End Homeless Among Veterans & Their Families. The Plan is dedicated “to all the veterans, service members and their families who have served our country — at home or abroad.”
As with many plans targeting a specific population of homeless people, the document has a clear and specific vision:
To eliminate homelessness among veterans in New Hampshire by ensuring all [the state's] veterans and their families, by 2014, have access to affordable housing and support services that promotes [sic] independence and well-being.
The Manchester VA Medical Center identified three critical unmet needs around which to craft the Plan: (1) Emergency/immediate shelter; (2) Detoxification from substances; and (3) Long-term, supportive permanent housing.
The New Hampshire Homeless Veterans Plan goes on to name goals and objectives in the areas identified by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs:
- Outreach and education
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Housing / supportive services
- Income/employment/benefits
- Community partnerships
Lastly, a table of executable elements provides a framework for accomplishing the stated goals in four years.
The Plan was covered by the following media outlets:
- New Hampshire Aims to End Veterans’ Homelessness (WAMC / Northeast Public Radio, 6/29/10)
- New Plan to Help Homeless Vets (The Keene Sentinel, 7/5/10)
- Eliminating Homelessness for NH Veterans (New Hampshire Public Radio, 7/1/10)
New Hampshire’s Homeless Veterans Plan looks to be a useful model for the many veterans homelessness plans that will be formulated in coming years. The Plan can be read in its entirety here (PDF, 270KB).