Thank you for your service past and present to the country and to fellow veterans. We are honored to work alongside you. That is exactly what we will do over the next few days. We will be working together. Not in a typical way and not our daytoday work. You will have an opportunity to pause and take a step back from the day to day grind and challenges. All of those things we struggle with every day and think about what we are doing and why. Are going to think about what we know and what we dont know. Those of you know me know that formal remarks are not my specialty. I want to show hands, how many of you that when we set it will be data, where like all. A show hands. It is okay. I am a selfprofessed data geek. I had that feeling to. I want to talk to you about why data is important. Sometimes it feels abstract and disconnected from reality. Sometimes it is dry and boring. Not really connected to the veterans we serve every day. We are here to serve veterans but data can help you we can get excited about data and i will tell you why. What can we learn . It tells us a lot about who we are serving, what challenges are, what the strengths are, what needs in the community are. Is it working . It is great to be working but if what we are doing doesnt work, it doesnt matter. Data can help tell that story. It can also tell us great things, like over 10 years, we have made tremendous progress in ending veteran homelessness. We need to celebrate. Without data, we wouldnt know that what we are doing is working. It also helps to tell us what immediate needs are. Veteran homelessness has not ended. There are needs out there. Anecdotally, we can say this need is here and this one is there. Data helps us see where the trend is. What is happening. Is the population shifting . Is it shifting by age or race or gender. Is it shifting i need, or barrier. How can we then address those barriers and needs. Data can also help us educate and form elected officials. They like numbers when theyre making policies and spending money. Data can give those numbers. Also justification for what they are spending. It can also help us figure out what works and what does not. The other side of data is that helps us figure out what we dont know yet. There are a lot of things we do not know. When we figure it out, that can push us forward to better policies, practice and innovation. Innovation has to be rooted in a foundation. Data is that foundation. Data and experience. One thing i heard is data is great but at the end of the day, who are reserving . We are serving individual that is we are serving individual veterans. With and translated into what is meaningful to an individual veteran. With memorial day a couple days ago and as is usually the case, saving private ryan was on. My husband was watching that and i was working in the background but to my it brought to mind a personal connection for me. My great uncle came into normandy in the second round. He was a scout. He was one of 30 scouts in the unit. One of only two to survive the battle. He is alive and 95 years old. It is taking the data and figuring out how to use the data to serve the veteran well. Historian when he saw has shaped his entire life. He was very young at the time. That shaped his entire life and entire experience. It is a different story than every other veteran we are trying to serve. Our challenge is to take the data, information and experiences and translate that into away to serve the unique needs of each veteran that we are trying to serve. With that, you do not want to hear from me. Im going to turn things over to kat nichols. She will be our hostess for the rest of the event. She is the Eastern Washington strategic Operations Manager for the Washington State department of veteran affairs. What we all have such long titles . She specializes in regional, strategic and multijurisdictional partnerships. She is the director of this okane center in washington. She is also a member of the board. Please welcome her. Amazing and brilliant, thank you cindy. I am so proud to be here representing the board this morning and our ceo Catherine Monet recently brought into the world one of the cutest babies ive ever seen. I get to be here with you. I think each and everyone of you for being part of the mission. And for making the conference a priority. You are going to learn about the most amazing and innovative practices celebrated across the nation. It gives me goosebumps to think this is my fourth year and here i am a peer sharing the great things that have already happened in my state of washington. You can bring to all of your states respectively. Super excited about the networking and really excited to introduce wonderful and brilliant minds. It is my privilege to introduce heather prill. She is the senior manager of Strategic Partnership programs for home depot. One of our great partners. She uses her personality to strategically build and manage key relationships with National Partners. She works to further the mission of ensuring that every veteran is a safe place to call home. It isnt just what she does it is who she is. She takes time and get back to the Community Serving on multiple boards. It is an honor to have you with us. Good morning. Are all of the west coasters wideawake . I will take that as a yes. So i am done. You are welcome. Honestly, we are so honored to be here with you. This is my seventh year. It is good to see her face once again. You were one of the first people that introduced me to the organization along with fred wacker. First i want to thank you for the amazing work that you do. Thank you for the tireless efforts that you have for many days and nights he spent getting veterans off the street and working to and veteran homelessness. I have partners here today. Erica headley is here. You want to get to know erica. She focuses on ending veteran homelessness for home depot. She is an amazing person. Take time to get to know her. Then crystal mather, i am not sure if her flight made it yet. Also kyle rainey will be joining us as well. At the Home Depot Foundation we focus on three things. Veteran housing which we will dive into. Also which is a surprise. Last year, we announced trades training. But we will do is put 20,000 men and women through skilled training by 2028. We are starting this by working with servicemen and women exiting the military. Here on seven basis. We will be on 10 by the end of this year. Is an ongoing effort for the Home Depot Foundation. Unfortunately one that we have been working with over the last couple of weeks. All of this work is done with our nonprofit partners. We cannot do this without you. Our job is to support the work that you do. We remember that every day. We start in the middle. You can see the social issues. We do a lot of research and listening. We know when to listen. We looked at critical home repair. One in five Housing Units are considered inadequate. We worked with partners to complete 1750 critical home repairs for veterans of all ages. And allows them to live and stay in their homes independently as long as possible. The 800,000 post9 11 veterans with a Significant Service connected disability, we hone in a bit more. With nonprofit partners last year, we constructed 33 smart adaptive homes. It doesnt sound like a lot but it is a lot of work here, our partners are amazing. The one you are familiar with the 3840,000 Homeless Veterans, last year we were able to provide funding for nearly 1500 Additional Units of housing, either brandnew or rehabbed units. Want to give you a round of applause for that. The picture you see is malcolm harvey. I know you remember this. Welcome harvey, for those of you that didnt see the video, he is a friend of ours who served in the navy for 12 years. He got out of the navy and with so many stories that you hear, for various reasons fell into homelessness for more than a decade. With the help of the amazing person he is, he is completing his final year of grad school. He is now married to a wonderful woman, living independently in an apartment in long beach. We are proud of the work that he did. We also know the work is not done. We want to make sure that you know we are not going anywhere. One last thank you, on behalf of home depot and the Home Depot Foundation, from the bottom of our hearts we thank you for the impact you are making on the lives of veterans. We are humbled by you and the work that you do. We are proud to stand next to you and support you. Thank you so much. Tech that is who she is. I know i dont need to tell you what a great partner we have in the veterans employment training. I wanted to share my own personal experience with this organization. Some of the best leaders i have ever known in washington have been those serving plastic. I have had the opportunity to work with them for grants. The state department of veteran affairs in washington is the only agency that currently has a drastic grant. We have had a lot of collaboration over the years. Not to mention a tremendous partnership with the veteran Services Grant and all of the american job centers. They are all rock stars. I can just rattle off the names i know by heart. The work that they do is fantastic. The collaborative work is truly a wonderful relationship. It is my privilege to introduce a great patriot. The marine Corps Officer and current chief of staff. Hes going to im certain take this legislative and congressional experience and continue to do Amazing Things for those that served. Welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to address an inspiring coalition. Thank you for your efforts to restore hope, confidence and the Bright Future for the American Veterans that selflessly stepped forward to serve their nation and put their country first. For countless unique reasons, these americans who once chose to put on the uniform and defend our way of life, face the cruelest of realities and bestow us with the opportunity to serve them. Also extending gratitude for service. It is an honor to serve with you and share the stage with the leaders here today. I am the chief of staff of the veterans employment and Training Service at the department of labor. It is my honor to speak with you on behalf of the secretary of flavor. The department of labors service is proud of its role as partner to the organizations and agencies that have committed their time, resources and expertise to the necessary goal of ending veteran homelessness in america. We respect and honor our partners. We think the coalition for Homeless Veterans for bringing us here today. Addressing homelessness requires all of the easiest resources that we bring to the table. It requires knowledge and action. Requires policy and practice. It requires strategy and speed. We must respond to the immediate needs of the veterans who answer the call of service but do not know where to sleep tonight. We must support the veteran on the crisis to keep them housed and facilitate the pathway to economic selfsufficiency. We must, with vigilance, focus on the career of Current Service members as they transition into civilian life so that our future veterans continue in a challenging and court rewarding career path. With a lifetime of success. They are proud to offer services to transitioning servicemembers and veterans at every stage of the added tatian to civilian life. The Transition Assistance Program has evolved to meet the needs of the Service Members and the civilian economy that they will thrive within. It emphasizes connecting transitioning servicemembers. Education and career opportunities. Coupling military experience with the needs of american employers to maximize economic potential. Rather than the alliance on classroom training, we are exposing transitioning servicemembers to direct experiences and growing businesses and industries within the community. Our jobs provides the resources to Outreach Program specialist and local employment representatives staff. To serve veterans with significant barriers to employment and employers who wish to take advantage of the talent pool. Most of these employees are veterans themselves with that significantly enhances the ability to connect with and represent the veterans they serve. They let federal staff ensure the proper use of resources as well as enforce the requirements of Uniformed Services employment and reemployment rights act to ensure that the reservist and guardsmen are able to succeed in their careers, before and after a call to active duty. Most directly relevant, they also work with the council on homelessness. To prevent homelessness among nations veterans. They administer the reintegration program. There are currently over 150 active grants across the nation. Bringing together the resources , veteran Service Organizations and communitybased organizations, serving the homeless, to provide the best possible combination of employment report for veterans that are homeless or at risk. Grantees serve nearly 18,000 veterans last year and assisted with the placement of nearly 11,000. Currently there is a 68. 7 placement rate for all veterans participating. Veterans participating were able to take advantage of a wide array of training and Work Experience opportunities with nearly 15,000 participants receiving classroom or occupational skills training and 2200 engaging apprenticeships or onthejob training. They started out small with a budget of only 2 million. A few years later, the Veterans Administration grant and per diem program and the programs were able to offer complementary services. They provided Employment Services and access to jobs. May achieve great successes, helping tens of thousands of Homeless Veterans access the benefits of employment. We are deeply proud of the history of jointly providing these services to veterans and shedding light on this important challenge to the nation. A successful history must not create complacency. Achievements made in the absence of new aspirations. In this spirit, we are excited to announce improvements in the coming program years. To meet the needs of a subset of veterans that require services or until now struggle to access them, the eligibility rules were amended and the act of 2018 and further amended by the department of defense act of 2019. In the years since they opted the charge to address veterans homelessness, a number of services and support of the made available to support veterans. In 2009, the passage of the homeless Emergency Assistance and rapid transition to housing act, the va commitment to ending veteran homelessness and opening doors, changed the landscape of veteran homelessness. The new programs and resources led to greater awareness. More veterans being housed and dramatic reductions in homelessness. Needless to say, we celebrate these advances. There were some unintended consequences we are addressing. We have been unable by law to enroll veterans who are housed. Therefore veterans that have been recently housed through services from the va, housing and urban development or continuum of care were no longer homeless. Therefore, no longer eligible. There unable to access services, even if they have been homeless just a few days before. As such, an important opportunity is to support a transition into a career that can sustain housing. The complicated work of supporting these veterans was made even harder. Thanks to the language and Veterans Benefits and transition act, they wholeheartedly supported. They will now be able to serve veterans that recently have been housed. The state that veterans that have been homeless in the last 60 days, prior to enrollment will be eligible for services. I am sure i do not have to explain the importance to anyone in this room. Serving veterans that have been recently housed means of porting them in difficult but necessary journey from homelessness to prosperity. Instead of worrying about eligibility rules, the veterans can focus on building a career on a solid foundation. They can spend time in a classroom or apprenticeship to build skills and connections to local business communities. The veteran can rest and ready to work toward a Brighter Future in the morning. The veteran can craft his or her own vision of prosperity that begins but does not end with shelter. Further, changes detailed in the act of 2019, it opened eligibility to veterans at risk of homelessness. This amendment will ensure access for veterans to benefit from services. A veteran need not enter homelessness for us to be able to help them avoid it. As you all know, the difference between preventing the risk of homelessness and responding to the reality is great indeed. I want to be clear, the change in the rules does not mean a change in vision. Our focus or commitment. It is, has been and will remain a program to assist Homeless Veterans. To assist them in your path to success. By expanding the eligibility definition, we are not abandoning what is most essential. Rather we are ensuring that the services that we offer are more compatible with the array of Services Offered by our partners in this important work. The vast majority of veterans transition military experience into a lifetime of success. Let us not leave those behind that stood up to answer the call of duty but over time fell on a much more unfortunate fate. In conclusion, i would like to reiterate the importance of your work. In our great nation, military service failed virtuous americans and enabled a lifetime of success. As employers continue to realize the capabilities that veterans bring to the workforce, the Unemployment Rate continues to reach historic lows. This recognition throughout society is fundamental to the sustainment of our volunteer forests and the greatest military the world has ever known. If you know employers that have a special focus on realizing the benefits of veteran employment, please tell them about the medallion program. It is the only federal award that recognizes an employers proven commitment to hiring and retaining veterans. More information can be found at the website. I want to thank you for time and attention today. More importantly, i want to thank you for your work. Your partners and colleagues and you across the nation are changing lives were better. It is your work that brings hope to homeless veteran. It is your work that enables a veteran to find a home and to cultivate a family sustaining career. Is all of you and your efforts that we are so proud to some court. I am the chair of the board. I see there is a positive reaction. I thought i would fill in until we get ben carson i want to thank the staff and the board for the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans for the work they did. Very few boards and ceos and staff who Work Together as well as we have. If the board is in the room, please stand. It looks like my time is up. Cindy will take us to the next level. Thank you. I am back again. It is my pleasure to introduce ben carson. On march 2, dr. Benjamin carson was one and is the 17th secretary of the department of housing and urban development. For 30 years, he served as director of pediatric neurosurgery at the john hopkins childrens center. A position he assumed at 33 years old. Becoming the youngest director inhospital history. In 1987, he performed the first separation of cranial best twins. That is a mouthful. Conjoined at the back of the head. He also performed the first fully successful separation of type ii twins in 1997. In south africa. s were in recognition of achievements, including the president ial medal of freedom, the highest civilian honor. Is also a recipient of the medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for the advancement of colored people. He authored nine books, for which he cowrote with his wife. The media group and center for public leadership named him among americas best leaders in 2008. Dr. Carson and his wife cofounded the Scholars Fund which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. It is currently operating in 50 states and the district of columbia. And has recognized worthen 7300 scholars and more than 7. 3 million in scholarships and more than 150 reading rooms around the country. Born in detroit to a single mother with a thirdgrade education. Secretary carson was raised to love reading of education. He graduated from yale and learned his m. D. From the university of michigan medical school. They are the proud parents of three adult sons and have three grandchildren. Please join me in welcoming secretary carson. Thank you. Thank you to cindy borgen for that introduction. Thank you all for being here and for what you do. 1 of the population makes it possible for the other 99 to live in peace and freedom. We should not ever forget that. The privilege to share with you today, a vision for addressing the housing challenges facing our country spray veterans. They make our freedoms possible. Sometimes the sacrifices they have made are not readily apparent. Certainly when someone is killed or someone loses a limb or and i cant we all can see the sacrifice. So often it is something that is. The traumatic brain injuries, just by being in proximity to some of the big guns. Time after time again, that can have a devastating impact. It changes their lives. That is why when they go and come back and people said different. That is a tremendous sacrifice. Something we must be cognizant of and be prepared to address. While america continues to witness unprecedented low unemployment and job creation and optimism, we need to make sure that our veterans also participate in the progress. No man or woman who once were nations uniforms should ever be abandoned to a shelter or the street. It is our mission to make sure that every veteran has a safe quality affordable place to call home. Together with the department of Veterans Affairs, we made Great Strides with the goal of ending veteran homelessness. Had and the va have a wide range of programs to prevent and limit homelessness through healthcare, job training, education and housing assistance. We still have a lot of work ahead. Today i will talk about a few areas that reflect the hud effort and priority to serve americans who have so dutifully served the nation. First, i want to talk about the positive results of the most recent point in time homelessness estimate. Then i want to talk about the range of programs and services that we have to reduce veteran homelessness and thirdly, how we are working to increase Affordable Housing and financial selfsufficient c. Not only for veterans but for everyone. Each year, thousands of local communities across the country conduct a one night point in time estimate of the number of people experiencing homelessness and emergency shelters interest additional housing and unfiltered locations. There is still much to be done, there is encouragement in the data. Last year, the total number of Homeless Veterans decreased by more than 5 . From more than 40,000 the Previous Year to less than 38,000. Among them, more than 60 had the safety of residing in sheltered settings. We are also seeing decline in the number of sheltered and on sheltered veterans. Nationwide, veterans homelessness has been cut by half since 2010, prompting 71 communities in 33 states. To declare an end to homelessness in the area. Virginia, connecticut and delaware have declared an effective end to homelessness. To fulfill any great dream requires a great team. We are especially proud of the more than 880 mayors, city council and governors who have joined the mayor challenge to end veteran homelessness in the community. In parallel with local communities, working together, federal agencies are joining forces. Working together and joining forces. That is such an important concept in our nation which is extraordinary. I dont care what anyone says, we live in a magnificent nation that is better than anything everyone anyone created before. No one can destroy the nation. We can destroy to division and hatred. We cannot allow the purveyors of hatred and division. Is due to the program. The program in which hud provides the housing. If you take traumatize veterans and give housing, it doesnt work. When you combine the things we create a path that many utilize to achieve selfsufficiency. The program is a vital resource that helped more than 150,000 formally Homeless Veterans move into housing with a voucher since 2008. Roughly 77,000 veterans have access to homes right now. Last year alone, more than 4000 veterans, many experiencing chronic homelessness, found permanent housing and the critical services. In addition, 50,000 veterans found permanent housing and Supportive Services for the continuum of homeless programs. These programs have been a success. Hud and the va announced an additional 35 million in Grant Funding to 212 Public Housing authorities across the country. They work through combining permanent rental assistance with Case Management and clinical services. It is complemented by va programs that use tools and technology to identify veterans that are most vulnerable and in need of help. As a doctor, i am a believer in the power of data. Also letting data and evidence drive what is done, rather than ideology. You think about human Life Expectancy and in the developed world. During the mid19th century. 40u4050 years of age. Today, nearly 80. Perhaps the most significant driver of better outcomes, the industrywide switch from using ideology to using evidence. The same works in housing. Not so much in government. We are working on that. The first model serves veterans through data rather than through guesswork. Data shows that it cost less to take someone off the street than to leave them on the street. It is not just housing, it is having second and third. Housing second means you determine why they were on the street in the first place and housing third means you fix it. That is what true compassion is all about. We are looking at lots of models now. We are looking at what are the result . We will look at what actually works in terms of getting people on their feet again. Also into a sustainable position. That is what makes the difference. Not the ideology behind it and what is driving it. We do recognize that a veteran cannot beat addiction. From the streets. Not going to find a steady job without a steady address. Those are the things we will have to work on. Each year, serve more than 1 Million People through emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing programs. With rent rising faster than income, we have to bring everyone to the table. It is not just the federal problem. Not a state or local problem. All of those entities, along with the forprofit and nonprofit, the philanthropic organizations, faithbased organizations, we combine those together. We will make tremendous progress. It is an important reason why we see homelessness this decline so significantly. Earlier this year, they bolster the effort to end homelessness by providing more than 2 billion in assistance grants which support more than 5800 local assistance programs to the continuum care program. Renewing these will allow providers to continue the work to house and serve the most vulnerable neighbors. These funds support a broad range of interventions from street outreach to broad spectrums of housing and related services. These local providers are in the front line of effort to end homelessness. They are like our veterans who are on the front lines to protect freedoms at home. The goal to prevent and end homelessness requires us to sit for those who are on the front line. I have seen them out there, going out in the cold and rain, going under bridges, talking to people who sometimes dont even want to see them and being persistent and establishing those relationships and people finally begin to trust them. Also getting people off the street and in many cases, and to not only a supportive environment but an environment where they can thrive. Hud is also advancing a wide range of programs that promote selfsufficiency, Strong Families and job training. Those are Central Building blocks for success. In february, as part of our selfsufficiency program, we announced an investment of 74 million into hundreds of Public Housing authorities across the country. That we residents can increase the earned income. Also save for the future and reduce dependency on government assistance. Unlike the incentives, and two other structure, the Family Program does not increase your rent for participating families whose incomes rise. This means residents can pursue a path of selfreliance without fear of losing assistance. Instead, any increase in earnings is placed into escrow. The family receives the escrow funds and can use them for any purpose like a down payment on a home or Security Deposit on an apartment. The funds are investment. They are already paying dividends. The average Household Income of participants more than doubled during the time in the program 10,000 to more than 27,000 at the time of completion. One of the things i really love is it doesnt punish people for making progress. This disturbs me, we are working to fix it. Right now, in government subsidized housing, if your income increases, you have to report that immediately so that rent can be raised. What kind of incentive is that to do better . You bring another income producing person into the household, you have to report that. Dont even think about getting married here keep probably lose everything. We cannot encourage people to climb the ladder of self sufficiency and then pull the ladder out as soon as they climb . This is something we are working hard to change. It is entranced in the system. It has been there for 50 years. God willing, we will get it out. We need our people. They are the most valuable resource. If we want to be successful as a nation, we have to develop all of our people. We cannot afford to throw any away. For everyone we take out of the dependent situation and put them in a productive situation, it is one less person we have to pay for but one more person who may discover a cure for cancer or a new energy source. We need the mall. We only have one quarter of the people that india has, one quarter of the people that china has. We need every single one of our people. Another thing we are working hard to do is fix section 3. It requires grantees to provide training, employment or contracts for low income people in the area where the grant is being used. So many have not utilized the program. It is complex. There is a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy associated. We have worked very hard for a few months to change the program to make it much easier to use. We are making substantial progress. Will make a difference. Particularly with the opportunities opening up. There will be a lot of grants there. It will provide enormous opportunities for people to gain the skills that will allow them to escape dependency, particularly when we move those ridiculous incentives out of the way, it will make a big difference. Hud is not only helping veterans find steady homes, so they can find steady employment. Are also promoting sustainable employment for veterans can afford to eventually own sustainable homes while the number of Homeless Veterans continues to decline, work is not complete. We must continue to be vigilant until we eliminate homeless in every community from one coast to the next. We need veterans to flourish. The sacrifices remain the foundation of liberties. It is the rock on which our National Character rests. It is not enough that we keep veterans in our thoughts. Also in our prayers. We must transition them from the street and shelter into safe , quality Affordable Homes across this land. I want to thank the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans for your partnership with hud and for your tireless effort to provide resources and assistance and advocacy on behalf of our Brave Brothers and sisters in arms, working together at the federal, state and local level. Until all americans have a stable home from which they can pursue their dream. Togetherness is something that is demonstrated by services. Betake people from every aspect of the nation. A unified fighting force has made it possible for us to remain free. Think about what can happen if we as a nation stop fighting each other. And concentrate on what are the real issues. Think how quickly we could solve the problems. I want to thank you for your service, for being here today. May god bless you. Am living with that . To fulfill a dream requires a great team. Look around, you are meeting the expansion of the team, today, tomorrow and friday. I hope everyone of you goes home with new partnerships. This next speaker has been modeling leadership for her whole life. Over 30 years of service in the air national guard. Now, making the most of her education and asked your aunts supporting veterans and families. Lets welcome ruth christopherson. Good morning. I am looking at all the great speakers and thinking that can hear me last. I hope i can leave you with thought, word and the video one phase to down. I love the theme of the conference. I do like data. Im a bean counter education. Even though, you may not like data and it is annoying i wouldnt doubt that each of you that need your expertise would be able to quote that off the top of your head. Long after the fighting on the battlefield, they continue to fight to gain the sense of self security and community. Far too often as we have heard, they end up living on the streets. Another 1. 4 million veterans are considered at risk of homelessness. While the numbers are decreased, we know there is a lot more work to do. Is an easy answer, it is not the solution. Homeless veterans are younger than the overall veteran population that 9 of between 1830. As secretary carson said, everyone counts. Rather than just giving a , a fully integrated program to address issues and obstacles to ensure the lead healthy and productive lives. New Substance Abuse treatments. Hears more data, according to the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans, about 80 of the population struggles with drug and alcohol issues and 50 afflicted with Mental Health problems, including the russian. The fact that 20 veterans commit suicide every day its heartbreaking. More than enough reason for holistic coach of action. We also know that access to Mental Health and Substance Abuse assistance is not enough. The Unemployment Rate fell to 19 year low in 2019. We know that underemployment is disproportionately impacting veterans. According to a study, nearly 1 3 of veterans are underemployed. Theyre working in jobs they are overqualified to do or do not take into account the characteristics from disciplines and teamwork to Situation Analysis and response. The expansion of opportunities must be part of the total solution. A top priority is secure housing that offers a supportive environment. The city partnered with the National Equity fund and want to bring them home. It is a focus on creating affordable, supportive and creative housing for veterans. Since that time there provided more than 3. 2 million in support of grants to support these projects. Helped create 4000 units of housing for veterans. Working with Strong Community and National Partners many in this room. They create the housing and what needed to address the data that weve all been listening to. It doesnt just provide shelter, it is a holistic approach that is necessary to end homelessness for veterans. There are organizations that stepped up to take a holistic approach. In boston, we have the New England Center and home for veterans that serves 1500. This is emergency transitional housing, permanent housing and communitybased health and communication services. In los angeles, homes for families utilize a path to his neighborhood model to support veterans and surrounding areas. This combines Affordable Housing and specialized mortgage programs, common gardens and other community space. And services such as trauma, informed care, arts classes, Child Development and financial education. When we think of veterans, what comes to mind is resilience. Facing the daunting task of fitting into a world that has changed. And might even seem foreign. Resilience defined by webster states and ability to recover from or the strictness of fortune for change. One use of the word i like is what wrote regarding resilience. There is a quality of resilience. Refusal to acknowledge defeat. Aids in the affairs of the heart is in a sterner and more practical kind. Veterans are resilient. In 2018, we commissioned a photographer to create the photograph of resilience. It is a 30 inch display that shines the light on the perseverance and dynamic story of veterans that were once homeless or at risk of homelessness. Also featuring Housing Development with friends and bring them home, it will be on display at the Conference Starting tomorrow. They depict the resilience of those that have given so much but still struggle. I encourage you to take the time to walk to the display of the photos and feel the stories that each photo is telling you. Use them as inspiration to be resilient in your own question two and veteran homelessness. I am so proud of the work that each of us, everyone in this room is doing for veterans. Thank you for the work you do and continue to drive the data in a much more positive direction. With that, i leave you with a video. It tells that silent story that you will feel. Tells the story of cowboy. Is johnny and the finding of hope. They developed a partnership with support from the National Equity fund and city through bring them home. Listen to the story and no that your resilience to continue the work is working thank you very much. And includes dramatic brain injury. To help veterans, we need to develop to help them back into the home life in the community. Bring them home is a National Program that was started to assist in the development of Supportive Housing and Affordable Housing for homeless and lowincome veterans. Surviving in a world that might not be familiar with. Finding the right support they need is important for veterans. It is designed with dignity. The modern look is where they can see themselves living in the future. All units are ada compliant. They have an independent laundry room and a Community Room where they can congregate. We offer Case Management services, also linking residents to medical and Mental Health services when needed. Also groups like life skills. All of these things help them adapt. Off the streets. This apartment home since 2012. An Innovative Partnership from the start. The support resulted in new projects in 15 states across the country. That will result in construction of 4000 units of Affordable Housing in which 3000 will be designated for veterans. When i saw this, i said this is where i wanted to live. I will finally have a roof over my head. I feel safe and secure. This is where i want to be. Clinic one more round of applause. Did we save the best for last . Im pleased to welcome another great patriot turned fierce advocate. Nationally recognized for the outstanding work she has done through her nonprofit john 14 2. Reaching out to help veterans experiencing homelessness to regain pride, dignity and hope. Ginger miller. She said the best for last. Dont do that. I dont need pressure. Let me tell you, im going to unbutton my jacket. How grateful i am to be here today. Thank you for this awesome invitation. This mike is loud and powerful. Nevertheless, when i got the invitation and saw some of the other speakers, i couldnt figure out why i was invited. Ive done a lot of great things in my life. I accomplished a lot of Amazing Things in my life. Now i get it. There was one point in life after serving my country i was homeless. When they see the other speakers and these great videos, now i get it. What we need to do as a coalition in country, we need to raise the bar. We need to raise the standard for Homeless Veterans. It did cut off. I have to speak from the heart. What i experienced in my life, im going to put this paper away. After serving my country, i served in the navy for four years. My husband suffered from severe posttraumatic stress disorder. When that didnt work, he told me i had to take my crazy husband and find someplace to go. I was unskilled. I barely had a High School Diploma when i went to the navy. The Navy Recruiter convinced me to pay for diploma. Dont stay there, i have a masters degree to back it up. You go when your husband was supposed to be a knight in shining armor is suffering from ptsd, your son is three years old and you have a piece of paper that is a diploma and four years driving a boat. We became homeless. This was the early 90s. There is no womens veterans interactive. I dont come from a military town or family. I didnt know where to look for help. It was tragic. I worked three jobs and went to School Full Time to pull me and my family out of homelessness. The sad part, we are here to talk about data. The data has been the same since the early 90s. It has not changed. Women veterans are the Fastest Growing segment of the homeless population. Like your why . We need to drive the data dont let it drive us. Talked about articles that came out. The headline for ginger miller has been the same since the early 90s. This is why i went into womens veterans interactive. When i was homeless i didnt nobody reach out to. I didnt even know how to tell someone that i was homeless after serving the country. Women veterans are still homeless. Become to Women Veterans interactive because we serve as a beacon of hope. When they come to us, we are underfunded and overworked. They come to us. What i have done is the ceo, im reaching out to form Strategic Partnerships. We signed with paralyzed veterans of america. That is amazing. They are helping to support the transition phase which is the development program. Homelessness is not the issue. We are under employed and unemployed. I had a decision to make, i could start a facility or most women, they are unemployed or underemployed. Take your pick. I did what everybody else wasnt doing. I started the transition space. Nobody believed it. I had friends to walk away. It took four years. We got a grant. My thinking is this. I lived it for a long time. When i see videos, i must had a nervous breakdown. That is reality. It never goes away. When i wake up every day and people tell me, why are you motivated . I know the way out. I know the way out. I know how to drive the data out. Nobody is listening. Now i understand why i am here. For years, i didnt want people to know i was homeless. I was ashamed. I was embarrassed and hurt. God had a bigger plan. I served on every level of government. I meet in the chairwoman for a committee of department of Veterans Affairs that i cannot legally name. I was also the chairwoman of the county commission for veterans. We have the largest population of veterans in the state of maryland. I am a leader. When you say , we have to get away from that. If there was one veteran included in the data that is homeless, we have work to do. The people. What hotel are you staying at. Ive been up since 3 am. I told them why. I used to be homeless. Nothing beats that. By then, im going to do something ive never done. Is a Lifetime Achievement award. Im not a lifetime are yet. Nonetheless, i have done great things. America is not getting it. It is not because of the color of my skin. I concocted that. Black women do great things all the time. Nevertheless, it is because i have been hiding. That is why theyre here. Ive been hiding who i am. America made me do it. As of today, im going to be the poster child for Homeless Veterans. Im no longer going to be ashamed. All of you here today need to know, i think the gentleman from the department of labor said it, we can thrive after being homeless. It is not a death sentence. It is one particular space and time. Once we get over it, we are over it. Dont wait until veterans are homeless on the street. We empower Women Veterans. They can live a full life after transitioning from the military. I can leave you with this. The action never stops. Needs money for extendedstay before her and her son get pushed out on the street. I have a woman veteran in georgia and the compressor at a temperatures rising and shes going to surgery. She needs 1000. That is nothing. It is everything when you have to go out and raise it day after day. You know what i am going to do . When i stepped down, im going to tell the world, ginger miller, formerly homeless veteran. Dont stop there. The mission continues. Thank you. Thank you for giving us a reminder that we all need. Something that happens once in your life or three times doesnt need to defined you. We are or it is our job to believe in the veterans that we serve. The most successful people say there is someone who is a mentor and friend and believed in them. Believe in the veterans weser. To know the things they are capable of accomplishing and encourage them along their way. Watch the coverage of the democratic residential candidate that the Democratic Party convention. It is saturday at 9 am on c span. Online at www. Cspan. Org or listen with the app. This weekend, saturday at 8 pm on lectures and history, the goldrush and environment. Newspaper journalist. Dollars on the u. S. Policy toward iran and the nuclear program. Are we there yet . The american automobile, past, present and driverless. Cspan has been providing unfiltered coverage of congress , the white house, the Supreme Court and publicpolicy events from washington, dc and the country. You can make up your own mind. Rated by cable in 1979, when one is brought to you by your local cable or satellite provider. Cspan, your unfiltered view of government. American history tv continues with a ceremony commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first africans in virginia