Homeless Veterans: An Ongoing National and Local Disgrace
San Bernardino County expects to find housing for the county’s last homeless veterans by the end of this year, Board of Supervisor’s Vice Chair Robert A. Lovingood said.
We are very close, and I have every expectation that we will reach this goal by the end of December,” Lovingood said. “We have a remarkable team that has made impressive progress on a very difficult problem. So as we celebrate our great veterans, we can also celebrate our success in battling veteran homelessness here at home in San Bernardino County.”
The San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership and the Office of Homeless Services provide comprehensive services and resources for homeless persons through an array of HUD, VA, and other funded agencies that serve the homeless.
On July 21, 2015, the Board of Supervisors conducted a study session focused on the County’s system for homeless services and homelessness among the County’s military veterans. The Board directed staff to work with community partners and other agencies in a coordinated effort to house all of the County’s veterans by December 31, 2015.
In January, the County’s homeless veteran population was 401. On Oct. 20, the Board of Supervisors approved $248,300 in General Fund, housing, and grant monies toward securing housing for the remaining 177 homeless veterans by the end of the year.
Many County staff members have worked long and hard to reduce veteran homelessness, including representatives from the Sheriff’s Department, Veterans Affairs, Housing Authority, Behavioral Health, Workforce Investment Board, Community Development & Housing and the County Office of Homeless Services. Community-based partners include LightHouse Social Service Centers, Loma Linda University, Goodwill, United Way, California Apartment Association, Faith Advisory Council, Inland Valley Hope Partners, and National CORE.
The San Bernardino County Department of Veterans Affairs helps veterans and their families with compensation for service-connected disabilities, pensions, education benefits and other services. It is the most productive county veterans affairs department in California. For