May 5, 2011
Ohio Judicial Center Hosts Event Aimed at Ending Homelessness Among Veterans
Advocates for homeless veterans met at a summit Tuesday to learn about the Department of Veterans Affairs plan to end homelessness among veterans in five years. The summit took place at the Ohio Judicial Center.
Attendees listened to overviews of the work underway by the U.S. and Ohio interagency councils on homelessness and a presentation by Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton about an initiative to help veterans access resources if they enter the court system.
Through the Veterans WrapAround Project, Justice Stratton hopes to network all the resources available to veterans so each court is aware of and can provide the most productive assistance. She has been working with the VA for three years on this project after the VA unveiled the Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) initiative, which assigns a designated representative at each veteran medical center to work with the court system to help veterans to access treatment services and other assistance. Five VJO specialists are assigned to Ohio.
“As the name suggests, we want to wrap our arms around veterans to provide the help they need in their time of need,” Justice Stratton said. “By using federal, state and local resources and fellow veterans as mentors, we hope to avoid a revolving door of veterans in and out of the court system.
The day-long session also included panel discussions centered on homeless data management, permanent supportive housing and next steps.
Representatives of the Ohio veterans service network also explained the VA’s “no wrong door” philosophy, meaning that all veterans seeking to prevent or exit homelessness must have easy access to programs and services. Any door a veteran comes to – a medical center, regional office or community organization – will offer them assistance.
For a high-resolution, print-quality photo of Justice Stratton speaking at the summit, visit: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/SCO/justices/stratton/news/2011/homelessVets_highres.zip.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.