There are more than 1,000 veterans who are homeless in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Today, Chris Thomas reports on the effort in Eastern North Carolina to match the claim that Virginia is now making.
North Carolina is home to some of the biggest military bases in the world, including Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. It’s hard to walk around Jacksonville without being reminded of the Marines and Sailors stationed here, and the ones who, after retirement, chose to stay there.
“Well, I think when anyone serves our country, they deserve so much more than being homeless, and it’s as simple as that.”
Craig Wagner is the President and Chief Professional Officer for Onslow County’s chapter of the United Way.
Wagner said the United Way’s 2016 point in time count showed an estimated 19 veterans who were homeless in Onslow County.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness states veterans are at higher risk of experiencing traumatic brain injuries or a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which can contribute to a variety of mental and physical struggles that can, eventually, lead to prolonged periods of homelessness.
Wagner, who comes from a military family, said this was a matter of personal importance to him, and is punctuated yearly by the local point-in-time count.
Depending on the time of year and the weather that comes along with it, homeless shelters in Onslow County can fill up quickly, leaving some, including veterans, out in the cold.
“We came across two homeless individuals…that we found their encampments underneath the bridge. You saw their belongings out there. One of them was seeking shelter in a public restroom and sleeping on the floor…regardless if you’re a veteran or not, I think people deserve something better than sleeping on a bathroom floor when it’s cold at night.”
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s point in time count on a night in January 2015, there were 1,092 homeless veterans in North Carolina, though Terry Allenbaugh, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, says the actual count may be closer to 3,500 individuals.
That’s down from HUD's 2014 estimate and puts the veteran homeless rate somewhere between 1 and 2.9 percent of the overall population. North Carolina, and most states in the union, have seen a sharp decline in veteran homelessness rates over the past five to six years.
Still, the White House’s goal of preventing and ending veteran homelessness in 2015 fell short of its mark, though HUD’s report claims ending veteran homelessness is “within sight.”
Allenbaugh, who has been working with members of the homeless community for more than 25 years, said it’s one of those few issues that can rally large numbers of people.
“Whereas homeless for anyone is very bothersome and it does and it should make us all uncomfortable, to allow and to not do all we can to ensure no veteran’s homeless is a noble venture and one that so many people in this state can buy into and get behind and figure out what they can do to help that cause.”
Last June, Gov. Pat McCrory announced a strategy to end veteran homeless by working with the state’s department of military affairs, veteran’s affairs, and human services, which organized a statewide conference, nicknamed a “boot camp,” organized by the Rapid Results Institute.
The conference, held last week, gathered officials who work directly with homeless veterans, including VA officials, behavioral health experts, and faith leaders, and encouraged them to meet goals within 100 days that directly targeted reducing and eliminating veteran homelessness.
One of those representatives was Craig Wagner.
Collaboration was a major focus during the conference, and Wagner said it’s something with which Onslow County has struggled with while when trying to find stable housing for veterans.
Barriers between these organizations often come down to financial or agency requirements. Organizations have different, though specific, standards to which applicants for housing must achieve, which can make teaming up to house a veteran difficult.
For example: some organizations won’t give housing vouchers to those given dishonorable discharges, while others can.
“So, because different funders put different eligibility or criteria on it, it takes us, as a community to get creative with resources so that we’re able to overcome those barriers.”
At the end of the conference Wednesday, each group left with a 100-day plan to address the veteran homelessness in their respective communities. In Onslow County, that goal is housing 12 homeless veterans.
Wagner said Onslow County is in an advantageous position since pre-existing facilities, including the Onslow Homeless Shelter and a shelter through the East Carolina Community Development Corporation in Beaufort (which works with communities across the region, including Jacksonville), are in place, but reaching future, short-term goals to achieve the long term goal may require additional funding through grants.
The goal of effectively ending veteran homeless is difficult, Wagner said, but it isn’t without precedence. Political and social leaders need only look north to the Commonwealth of Virginia for inspiration, after its governor, Terry McAuliffe [Mc-Call-Uff], announced the effective end of veteran homelessness there.
This doesn’t mean there aren’t any more homeless veterans in Virginia, Allenbaugh said, but…
“…It does mean the systems have been set up and resources identified, so…when a veteran becomes homeless, that he or she is assisted with resources to ensure they do not remain homeless.”
Virginia leaders also worked with the Rapid Results Institute, encouraging mayors from across the Commonwealth to establish and meet 100 day goals to end, or work toward ending, veteran homelessness. Officials from this side of the state border drew inspiration from their neighbor, Allenbaugh said.
“And so, we kind of take that as some inspiration as a neighboring state and say ‘well, you know, we have the capacity in North Carolina to make that happen as well.’”
Allenbaugh says it’s his hope community efforts will lead toward putting homeless veterans in more permanent housing and connect them services that will help maintain their housing with greater ease. Allenbaugh also hopes it will develop strategies to reduce homelessness across the socio-economic spectrum.
“It really does provide a good model for our communities to not only end veteran homelessness, but to end all homelessness as well, so that, when it does happen…it’s rare and brief and non-reoccurring.”
For more information on these initiatives, visit our website, publicradioeast.org. If you’re a veteran in need of assistance and you’re living in or around Onslow County, call 211.
I’m Chris Thomas.