Catholic Charities addresses homelessness
December 20, 2014
Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri has announced a new program that serves veterans and their families who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

The Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program is funded through a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The purpose of the project is to address the staggering reality of homelessness among veterans. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, there are 49,933 homeless veterans on any given night. In a number of the counties served by Catholic Charities, homelessness among veterans increased dramatically between 2007 and 2013, growing by an alarming 170 percent.

Catholic Charities case workers focus on immediate housing needs first and then address issues that might jeopardize housing stability in the future through ongoing case management, improving job skills and connecting veterans with valuable community resources. The program covers 36 of the southernmost counties in Missouri, extending from the Oklahoma/Kansas border to Illinois, excluding only the three southern Missouri counties surrounding the City of Springfield (Greene, Christian, and Webster counties), which are served through a similar program offered by The Kitchen.

To be eligible for the project, participants must be veterans who have served at least one day of active duty service and who have a discharge status other than dishonorable, must be low-income at or below 50% of the average median income of the county in which they reside, and must be literally homeless or at demonstrable risk of imminent homelessness.

Contact information for veterans living in these counties:

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