Senate panel told of gaps in programs for homeless women vets

WASHINGTON – Sandra Strickland lost her job, her apartment and custody of her two children last year. When a government contract ended and her life in Stafford, Va., fell apart, the 43-year-old Army veteran joined the growing ranks of female vets who are homeless.

She contacted a local Veterans Affairs office but didn’t get much help. “I was told that they did not have any more vouchers for housing and the best they could do was to provide me with a list of shelters,” Strickland said. She had to look elsewhere for help to get off the street.

The number of homeless female veterans is rising, even as the federal government is in the middle of a five-year plan to end homelessness among veterans and the overall rate of homeless veterans is falling.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee considered those two seemingly conflicting points Wednesday as it reviewed programs to help.

Since 2009, the number of homeless veterans has decreased by 12 percent, said Pete Dougherty, VA director of programs for the homeless, which include access to permanent housing, jail and court outreach, case management and homeless prevention services.

Chanel Curry, a 24-year-old Army veteran from Ohio, also became homeless last year. At the time, she was a reservist who kept missing work because she constantly needed to report for military duties.

In December, she enrolled in the VA Grant Per Diem Program, which helped her get a new apartment and provided her with classes and computer training.

“The VA definitely went above and beyond to make sure that I would not remain a homeless veteran,” she said.

At the hearing, the VA was criticized for providing insufficient help to women.

Marsha Four, of the National Women Veterans Committee, said the per diem program does not give enough money to its service centers to support the needs of veterans. Because of that lack of funding, the service centers don’t provide veterans continued assistance and resources to make it on their own. The centers find it impossible to hire enough case managers, she said.

The program has safety and security issues as well, said Linda Halliday, VA deputy assistant inspector general. A study of transitional housing facilities showed 31 percent were unsafe. For example, bedrooms and bathrooms lacked locks and women and men were housed on the same floor without access restrictions.

The study also found 23 percent did not safely store prescribed drugs, including narcotics, which could lead to misuse or overdoses, Halliday said. The office also found problems with housing capacity, dietary needs and the grant evaluation process.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., questioned VA officials on ways to improve services for women but did not specifically criticize the per diem program. A spokesman later said Murray believes the VA is trying to catch up to problems posed by the growing number of homeless female veterans but can’t end homelessness by itself. It needs to rely on outside expertise and cooperation.