Syracuse/Onondaga County

Plan to End Veteran Homelessness:

Reaching Functional Zero

Vision: It is unacceptable for a Veteran or a Veteran and their family to be on the street in Syracuse/Onondaga County. Veterans without any housing are immediately helped regarding housing and connected to the support they need and want to maintain their housing.

Goals:

We will have ended homelessness among Veterans and achieved functional zero in Syracuse/Onondaga County when the following goals are achieved:

  1. No Veteran is ever forced to live on the streets in Syracuse/Onondaga County
  2. Veterans on the streets today are offered immediate access to shelter and are re-housed in the next 45 days (per New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance wait regulation to receive public assistance benefits)
  3. As measured by chart reviews (to ensure Veterans are being offered services) as well as the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) master list of all homeless Veterans
  4. Going forward, there are few, if any, unsheltered homeless Veterans on any given night
  5. As measured by chart reviews to ensure that contact was made with the Veteran by a staff person at the agencies listed below (1c).
  6. Rescue Mission, In My Father’s Kitchen, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program and the Syracuse Department of Veterans Affairs(VA) have partnered to conduct street outreach 5 days per week.
  7. As measure by agency self-certifications.
  1. When homelessness does occur for a Veteran, it is rare and brief
  2. A housing plan will be established for homeless Veterans within 14 days of entering services. Veterans experiencing homelessness will have access to the services and housing placement assistance they need and want to achieve their plan.
  3. As measured by chart reviews to ensure that a plan is in each Veteran’s chart
  4. Veterans are homeless for no more than 45 days on average.
  5. As measured by a review of HMIS data
  1. Veterans experiencing homelessness are housed quickly and very few return to homelessness
  2. At least 75% of Veterans exit homelessness to permanent housing*
  3. As measured by both VA chart reviews as well as HMIS data
  4. Homeless Veterans have access to the VA and community services for which they are eligible and that they need and want to help them further stabilize after homelessness
  5. No more than 10% of Veterans return to homelessness within 12 months after successfully exiting*
  6. As measured by both VA chart reviews as well as HMIS data
  7. A Homeless Veterans Workgroup meeting will continue to take place monthly after Syracuse/Onondaga County has declared that they have ended Veteran Homelessness wherein the master list of Veterans experiencing homelessness will be reviewed and action will be taken to ensure these Veterans are properly identified and housed. The workgroup will fall under the auspices of the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Syracuse and Onondaga County and include shelter, SSVF, Department of Veterans Affairs, City of Syracuse ESG, Onondaga County Department of Social Services and outreach staff along with the Continuum of Care Lead.
  1. If a Veteran is about to become literally homeless, prevention assistance through SSVF is immediately available
  2. Veterans on the verge of becoming literally homeless have immediate access to the prevention services and housing retention/relocation assistance they need and want and for which they are eligible to avoid literal homelessness
  3. As measured by chart reviews and HMIS data
  4. At least 90% of at-risk Veterans are in permanent housing following prevention assistance**
  5. As measured by SSVF data

Notes:

  1. We have established a master list of Veterans who are homeless in Syracuse/Onondaga County that will be managed by the Continuum of Care (CoC) NY-505 or HMIS System Administrator. The list will ensure that all homeless Veterans are being served. Information will only be shared with the agency serving the individual with a valid release of information.
  1. *This indicates that a report for the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) needs to be written so that we can pull the data. The CoC will be responsible for this.
  1. **This data will come from SSVF. From the “Housing Status at Exit”.
  1. Data will be monitored on a monthly basis by agencies noted in the plan. A 25% sample of charts will be used each month. Chart review information (de-identified) will be shared with the point of contact from each agency no later than the 10th of each month. SSVF grantees who are not entering data into the local HMIS will be responsible for providing the information noted under “HMIS” sections.