Why solving veteran homelessness is a priority in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The problem of veteran homelessness remains profound despite improvements in recent years.

That’s why the Department of Veterans Affairs reached out with the Homeless Veteran Stand Down, not only meant to get veterans daily needed items like toiletries but also to put them on a path off the streets.

VA is on track to permanently house 38,000 homeless veterans this year, having reached 26,470 through July.

And in Augusta – where 11% of residents are of the military community – the agency has housed more than 140 veterans in 2023, with none of them returning to unhoused living conditions.

Nationally, the trend is positive.

Since January 2020, the number of homeless veterans has fallen 11% and has gone down 55% over the past 13 years, according to a government count. That’s in sharp contrast with the general homeless population.

But it’s still a serious problem.

Local permanent housing placements include apartments or houses veterans can rent or own, often with a subsidy to help make the housing affordable. VA Augusta also helped some veterans end their homelessness by reuniting them with family and friends.

All these efforts are built on the “housing first” approach, which prioritizes getting a veteran into housing, and then provides the veteran with the wraparound they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, and legal and education assistance.

Looking ahead, two buildings at the Charlie Norwood Veterans Medical Center are about to undergo a big transformation. Right now, plans are to turn the unused wings into 76 units for housing.

How to get help

• Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless can VA Augusta’s homeless services care coordinator to get help: [email protected].

Veteran Stand Down is a resource fair for veterans connecting those who served our country with the tools to get their lives back on track.

“People think that when you go into the military, and you’ve served your country that you come back okay,” said Annette Lawson, a veteran.

Lawson left to serve as a marine at the age of 17.

“You don’t come back the same person,” she said.

Like many veterans, she faced a different sort of battle on the front lines when she came home.

“Homelessness? I never saw that one coming, but it did,” said Lawson.

She says one visit to the Veterans Stand Down resource fair radically changed her life.

“The women’s house that they had here in Augusta Parkway Place, was another very good resource because they helped me establish housing. And you had your mandate to say you couldn’t stay in this house unless you were saving money. So once you got a job, there was a certain amount of your income that you had to put away and they monitored on a monthly basis,” she said.

Every year, the Veterans Stand Down program provides at-risk and homeless veterans with mental health services, connections to housing programs, health care, and more.

Sabrina Faircloth is the program manager for the homeless program.

“We have a lot of veterans that are aging and disabled, they’re on fixed incomes. And it’s really difficult for them to make that money stretch each month, especially with the housing, the rent prices going up. And so today is the day that we’re able to give back to them,” she said.

They’re even giving free haircuts and a hot meal.

“Do you know the difference it makes in your appearance? Just for somebody to care enough to give you a haircut,” said Faircloth.

Faircloth says it’s not a one-stop shop. It serves as a point of connection to identify veterans who need help.

“We stay with them. We provide case management services. We teach them life skills, how to be a good tenant, and how to problem-solve. We link them with employment and link them back to the VA. Changing one life at a time,” she said.

Lawson said: “I have a good job. Have a consistent home. And I get to be talking to you to say thank you United States of America for your tax dollars because you made me better today.”

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