Événement

Dead Presidents

Jackson Street Commons is a shelter for homeless vets that operates on donations & grants only.

Sponsorship Opportunities available by contacting Jimmy Shaw
$100
$250
$500
$1,000

Jackson Street Commons Program Description

In May of 2014, Family Service Association of Howard County Inc. (FSA) opened the doors to Jackson Street Commons, permanent, supportive housing for chronically homeless Veterans with disabilities. Jackson Street Commons uses the National Housing First Model which is an approach that centers on providing homeless people, Veterans in this case, with stable housing. A central tenet of the Housing First approach is that social services to enhance individual and family well-being can be more effective when people are stably housed and in their own home. This model provides a home first and then surrounds the Veterans with services that will help with their stabilization. Jackson Street Commons was the third of its kind for the State of Indiana to provide this type of housing intervention for homeless, disabled Veterans.

Veterans who experience homelessness have high incidences of mental health and substance abuse issues, often as a result of conflict-related stress, and high levels of physical disability, due to injury or illness. And, they may lack social support networks. According to the VA (www.va.gov):
Ø 45% of homeless Veterans suffer from some form of mental illness
Ø 70% of homeless Veterans suffer from substance abuse issues
Ø Two-thirds of homeless Veterans served at least three years in the active military
Ø Almost 90% of homeless Veterans received an honorable discharge

All of these concerns make it difficult for some Veterans to easily return to civilian life after having served. Veterans facing the risk of homelessness also often spend over 50% of their income on housing-related costs. Last year at Jackson Street Commons, we stably housed 35 Veterans. All of these Veterans had a disabling condition that had led to their homelessness. Of the 35 this past reporting year, 69% had reported mental illness and 56% had substance abuse issues, 80% had chronic health conditions. These disabling conditions are barriers to stable housing and stable, gainful employment. Easily accessible supportive services greatly enhance the Veterans ability to overcome these barriers that contributed to their homelessness.

From the beginning, Jackson Street Commons has done more than simply house and provide on-site supportive services to our most vulnerable, homeless Veteran population but has strived to be a Resource Center for all Veterans in the community. We take walk-ins for any Veteran inquiring about housing assistance or any other service referral they may need. We also make available our Community Veterans Pantry for any Veteran needing food or hygiene items. In addition to providing case management for the residents, we provide outside case management to non-residents. This past year we implemented counseling services to any Veteran with service-related mental health issues. Ken Gardner, a counselor that is also a Veteran, provides this service. Any Veteran in the community can also attend our weekly VA Addictions group led by a trained Peer Specialist and Mental Health Americas Vet-to-Vet group. We also offer a support group for family members and caretakers of Veterans with PTSD. Free financial coaching for Veterans and their spouses is also available through Mike LeClear, CFPB Financial Coach.