1MATTERS dba VETERANS MATTER

With dignity first, to return individuals and families with children to domestic and financial autonomy.

Removing the deposit barrier magnifies the impact/value of the intervention strategy by facilitating opportunity for immediate connection to additional services through Veterans Matter, the VA social and employment workers nationwide, while leveraging the capacity and resources of the local community collaborators.

According to HUD's VASH assessment, “Hands down, the most common obstacle faced by Veterans during the lease-up process as described by HUD-VASH sites is a lack of funds for security deposits and other move-in costs."

Currently rental deposits are not readily available due to an unhoused veteran's limited employment or patchwork of local and federal resources with limited funding. Homeless veterans are sometimes forced to beg for the deposits from churches, VFW's, and the like. In major cities, it often requires multiple agencies and appointments, numerous applications/case managers/housing plans to get approved, then an additional 2 – 6 weeks to process and send the deposit. This lengthy process depletes the homeless veteran's phone minutes, bus tokens, and ultimately extends the time they are forced to sleep in a box, abandoned building, on the street, or in a shelter.

The rental deposits are often the only obstacle preventing vets from entering the ready long-term housing. We eliminate this last barrier and help them over the threshold in literally minutes.

We think we have created a program that most foundations would seek to fund: An out of the box, game-changing, proven, effective program with very low program costs as overhead costs are donated in kind.

Veterans Matter, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), leverages evidence-based practices like Housing First and the federal resources of HUD-VASH (the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher program) to get veterans off the street and into stable housing as quickly as possible.

Once stabilized in long-term housing, case managers help the veteran manage all chronic health and/or mental issues, addictions, or other issues causing the chronic homelessness. According to HUD, the HUD-VASH program has a remarkably high 91% success rate in keeping veterans housed at least one year.

We go where needed most. We find the most neglected veterans in the most neglected areas. Yes, we have housed over 1,350 veterans, but that is ONLY 1,350. We can do five times that if we have the funds to deploy. Our Advocates are now raising money and awareness to house 2,000 more veterans this year.

Veterans Matter is the result of collaborative innovation integrating technology, housing and the community, with the medical, mental and employment help provided by the VA that creates evidence-based results for our heroes in need: Returning them to domestic autonomy. Our mission is simple, house as many homeless veterans as we can, as fast as we can.

In late 2016 Veterans Matter and the VA Secretary signed a Memorandum of Agreement in order to expand each of these system level programs.