Guest Op/Ed: Support the Progress We Are Making on Homelessness

The Veterans Housing project (Bradenton Veterans Village) that was announced at the April 25 Manatee County Commission meeting sounds like a promising way to get Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) up and running in Manatee County. The initiative is currently in the planning stage after the board voted unanimously to move forward with the proposed project.

The need for PSH was outlined in the Florida Housing Coalition study as a key recommendation to begin work on immediately, as PSH does not currently exist in Manatee County and there are 137 individuals currently on the Oneby1 list waiting for this type of assistance. "PSH combines affordable permanent housing with access to flexible support services and no preconditions. Intended for those with long lengths of time homeless and disabling conditions (i.e., chronically homeless). PSH builds up a household’s ability to reintegrate into the community and reduces unsheltered homelessness.”

Two non-profits are partnering to bring this project to fruition, each with complementary expertise and resources. Tunnels to Towers (T2T), a national organization committed to supporting the heroes who continue to risk life and limb in the line of duty, has provided over 1,000 homes and mortgage payoffs to catastrophically injured veterans, Gold star widows, and Fallen First Responder Families throughout the U.S. They recently created a new program to provide housing and services to Veterans who are homeless. 

T2T is leading the housing development for the project, working with the county and using their own resources to provide 122 new permanent housing units for individual veterans. The campus plan also includes offices for staff and meeting rooms, as well as community and recreation space. The proposed campus will be located on a 9-acre site that is currently occupied by a Utilities Department building, which will be torn down. U.S.VETS, a national leader in providing housing, employment, and mental health services to veterans, will then support T2T by providing wrap-around services, including mental health and wellness, workforce development, and homelessness prevention, once the housing is complete.

Veterans have unique resources and support structures that civilians lack; this enables PSH programs to be more effective and allows for higher rates of housing stability. This proposed Veterans Housing project could serve as an example for future PSH programs for broader populations. Lee Washington (Acting Interim County Administrator & Marine Corps Veteran) and Charlie Bishop (Deputy County Administrator & Air Force Veteran) are scheduled to visit a U.S.VETS facility in July. It will be important for county staff and leadership to observe and learn how effectively a facility such as this runs to ensure we can create the same success in Manatee. 

It is important for the community to participate in the shaping of this particular project so that it develops into what our community needs and has been proven to work according to best practices.

The League of Women Voters of Manatee County had some questions, and thank Darryl J. Vincent, Chief Operating Officer of U.S.VETS, for taking some time to speak with us about the following:

Is this Transitional vs Permanent Housing? At the 4/25/23 BoCC meeting, this project was listed on the agenda as transitional. This has important implications. Transitional beds are still considered homeless and with no additional intentional investment in permanent housing, it is extremely difficult for an individual to "graduate” a transitional program without being able to find permanent affordable housing. Permanent housing is the way to go if the community wants to see a true and permanent reduction among homeless veterans.

We are relieved to know this project is grounded in the housing first model where permanent supportive housing (PSH) is the priority and is planned for official designation as permanent housing. The goal for T2T/U.S.VETS is to ensure that once a veteran is identified as experiencing homelessness, they find that person shelter as soon as possible. For individuals who need emergency services or residential treatment services before moving into permanent supportive housing (PSH), the plan is to work with other local agencies that provide emergency or temporary or transitional housing to shelter a veteran as they prepare to take on living in their own unit financially with support services provided by T2T/U.S.VETS. However, T2T has indicated it may designate a unit or two for emergency or transitional services if reality dictates the need but that has yet to be determined. 

Where will the money come from? Financial support for the development of the Project comes from T2T. Affordable rent will be paid by veterans directly. Those veterans who qualify for a subsidy will be able to access that resource which typically means they pay 30% of their income. T2T and U.S.VETS will work with veterans in the community, so they have enough income to pay rent through gaining employment, veteran benefits, and other resources of income. 

Financial support for U.S.VETS projects and services comes from a broad spectrum of grants and donations. The two non-profits are partnering to provide this PSH development to Manatee County veterans. Financial support for the currently proposed project does not require VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) vouchers, though rent could be paid through a voucher.

There are two main categories of VASH vouchers – project and individual.  To date, Manatee County has never applied for either type of VASH voucher. Initial analysis by U.S.VETS indicates Manatee County could apply for as many as 75 individual vouchers. U.S.VETS would encourage Manatee County to apply for VASH vouchers, as this will help veterans with additional financial and support services.  

U.S.VETS assists veterans to obtain the VA benefits they are entitled to; however, support to veterans by U.S.VETS is not restricted to what the VA pays for. Grants and contributions make it possible for U.S.VETS to provide a full range of supportive and assistive services to all the veterans in their programs. If a veteran does not qualify for services through U.S.VETS due to the rare case of a dishonorable discharge, they help that individual connect with services from an agency that provides services to individuals experiencing homelessness without regard to veteran or discharge status.  

Is there a sufficient number of veterans now and in the future to utilize the number of units being created? Do we only want to serve individual veterans, or should we support their families and/or civilians with any unused units? The League has heard different counts of veterans experiencing homelessness quoted in various community meetings; 64, 100, and 200, to name a few. 

In developing the project, T2T worked with U.S.VETS, the county and other community providers to determine the need. They considered the last recognized "point in time survey estimate” when they started planning a project to identify the number of units. In this case, the 2019 estimate was 71 sheltered and 40 unsheltered veterans. It is important to remember that these numbers are always an estimate and can vary over time. 

What remains clear is that there is a significant sustained number of veterans experiencing homelessness since 2019 in Manatee County. This sustained need would be addressed by the planned T2T/U.S.VETS project which is focused on individual veterans (male or female). What we do know is permanent supportive housing is a need in every community for veterans. 

After full implementation is complete, T2T in partnership with U.S.VETS will periodically assess the actual utilization of housing and review possible options if warranted. T2T/U.S.VETS is mindful in projects such as these that mission creep can become an issue to successful implementation. One example of this would be to sublet or subcontract a block of units to an agency that provides homeless housing and services to civilians. However, since this project is intended for veterans that would be out of scope with the mission and only considered upon disposition if T2T/U.S. VETS achieved the mission of eradicating homelessness amongst veterans. 

Another option could be to go beyond serving individuals to including families which would require additional types of services which must be staffed appropriately. It also includes a whole different set of safety requirements and protocols for minor children. Given this, T2T/U.S.VETS partners with other community providers to serve families if deemed appropriate. This project is not intended for families, however, T2T and U.S.VETS will consider if the single veteran housing need is diminished.

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At the April 25 Manatee County Commission meeting, a motion to accept the staff recommendation to move forward with this project passed 7-0. We are excited to see this progress and the focus on Permanent Supportive Housing. Let’s keep it going! It is up to each of us to advocate for the leadership needed to support implementation of the proven solutions. Write to your commissioners today to thank them for this progress and encourage them to look for additional opportunities to create PSH that can serve civilians and families experiencing homelessness.