Homeless Veterans Forum Brings Policymakers and Providers Together

A soggy Saturday morning did not dampen the energy and enthusiasm by policymakers and veterans services providers when they met on September 24, 2005, to discuss homeless veterans issues.

All agreed we need to address the needs of homeless veterans and get ahead of the causes of homelessness for veterans who are beginning to return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Coalition co-sponsored this event with 75 to 100 people turning out to learn about the challenges and solutions to housing Minnesota’s veterans. Themes of collaboration and securing the needed resources to serve homeless veterans emerged during the discussion.

Panelists included:

• U.S. Senator Mark Dayton
• State Senator Jane Ranum
• Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman
• Minneapolis City Council Member Paul Zerby
• Laura Kadwell, Director for Ending Long-Term Homelessness
• Dexter Sidney, HUD Field Office Director
• Reggie Worlds, Outreach Coordinator for Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
• Jo Weable, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Coordinator
• Milt Schoen, Hennepin County Veterans Services Director
• Dr. Paula Phillips, Clinical Psychologist at Minnesota Veterans Home
• Kathleen Vitalis, Chief Operating Officer MACV
• Major Cynthia Rasmussen, 88th Surgeon Combat Stress Team
• Guy Gambill, Hennepin County CABoH

Senator Dayton urged attendees to speak out for more resources for these effective programs: “You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for more resources. I think the public is willing to support this.”

Commissioner Dorfman urged better coordination of existing programs: “We need to create a seamless system to end homelessness among veterans so we never have to say the words ‘homeless’ and ‘veteran’ in the same sentence.”

Providers stressed the great work that is already being done to serve this population, as well as that more needs to be done to help those currently homeless as well as prevent homelessness for those returning from the recent conflicts overseas. All agreed we have an opportunity to get ahead of an issue that we were not prepared to address when soldiers returned from previous conflicts.