The announcement of Phoenix’s end to chronic homelessness among local veterans left many believing the city had crossed the finish line, but Mayor Greg Stanton said Phoenix still needs the “community to continue supporting the services,” adding “we haven’t reached functional zero yet.”
Phoenix was officially named the first city in the U.S. to end chronic homelessness among veterans in December 2013, and since then the city has been persistent in reaching its new goal — functional zero among veterans who are homeless — Stanton said.
In a City of Phoenix press release from 2014 announcing the news, “chronic” was described as unaccompanied adults with a disabling condition who have been homeless for at least a year, or adults who have experienced at least four episodes of homelessness within three years.
Shane Groen is the Maricopa County special initiative director for the Arizona Veterans Stand Down Alliance, coordinated by the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness. He said that “functional zero” means the total monthly number of veterans being placed into housing is higher than the total known population of homeless veterans.
“We feel we are really close,” Groen said. “But we still have a lot of work to do.”
Stanton also said that even though the city will most likely announce it has been successful in reaching “functional zero” by the end of this year, the work is not over. He added that the most important task is finding and building more permanent housing.
Stanton said this “Housing First” model adopted by Phoenix has proven to be successful. This model is a method to battle veterans’ homelessness where no matter what the circumstance is or what a veteran’s past may be, they can get same-day permanent housing without judgment.
This model helps eliminate the difficult variables some veterans bring with them — dishonorable discharges, criminal records and sexual offenses — that would otherwise prevent the veteran from receiving the services he or she needs, Groen said.
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Corey Harris, field representative and caseworker for Rep. Ruben Gallego and 14-year U.S. Army veteran, said the “Housing First” model also has been helpful in reducing recidivism rates, or the number of veterans who go back into homelessness after receiving housing.
This could be the case because housing is already arranged for the veteran on the day they are picked up, Groen said.
Groen also described the housing as fully-furnished and welcoming. He said empty apartments are not good for housing retention, and the more the apartment feels like home, the better off the veteran will be.
“At least they are going to have a great roof over their head,” Stanton said.
But Harris said he fears the city is focusing too much on permanent housing because it has such a high success rate, and not enough other types of services like emergency shelters and transitional living centers.
Rachel Gutierrez, service platoon leader for the 2nd Platoon Phoenix, said veterans’ affairs efforts need to begin addressing the “gray areas” and those not traditionally considered “homeless,” like couch surfers and those on the verge of homelessness.
Stanton also said the “Housing First” model has not been a cheap model to employ. Between the housing vouchers, the support services, health and wellness checkups and employment counseling, a lot goes into the work needed to support these veterans.
But according to a 2008 Morrison Institute report, the investment in housing vouchers is still one-fifth the cost of a chronically homeless individual remaining on the streets.
If a chronically homeless veteran were living on the streets, their annual cost could be up to $40,000 in taxpayer money. This is calculated by the average times a chronically homeless veteran will use an ambulance (three), visit the emergency room (three), and be hospitalized (two). This does not include the strain on the local jail and criminal justice system. According to the report, if a chronically homeless veteran would receive a housing voucher, their taxpayers’ cost would be roughly $605 per month or $7,260 per year.
“If we are looking at getting to the point where we are being proactive as opposed to reactive, I think, nationwide there have been a lot of cities and states who have gotten to that point,” Harris said.
Stanton said he hopes that as veterans’ homelessness continues to be a proactive effort, he wants to focus more attention on the employment front.
“I want to see veterans get the jobs they can build a life upon,” Stanton said.
He described the efforts the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative (VECI) has done in the community stating, “businesses and companies are stepping up big time to provide vet-friendly jobs.”
These jobs are usually advocated by VECI for hiring to be considered by veterans before the general public. Stanton said he sees a long-term economic benefit from this kind of hiring.
But VECI is not the only initiative working to provide veteran’s services. The Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance holds an annual three-day event dedicated to all different kinds of veterans’ services and resources. Groen said among these services, veterans can find clothing and food banks, daycare options for the event and for the future, pet supplies and health care for their animals, job services and employment opportunities, and legal services.
“Our goal is to be a one-stop shop for veterans,” Groen said.
Last year, the StandDown event had over 800 volunteers helping 1,700 veterans, Groen said. But he said the event is currently in the process of downsizing.
“We still see a lot a value but we are tapering down,” Groen said. “We don’t want veterans taking advantage of the services here, when they are available throughout the year.”
Groen added that he does not want veterans waiting until the StandDown event to get the services they need, but instead he wants to see a happy medium between services and options.
Groen said though the goal for everyone is to end homelessness, he is worried that once Phoenix gets closer to “functional zero,” resources may dry out. He added he hopes the city and the community continue managing and supporting veterans services even when the city becomes proactive in its efforts.
While the city of Phoenix and other alliances are working to find resources and help veterans economically, The Mission Continues “picks up the social aspect,” Gutierrez said. The Mission Continues is an organization that helps veterans reunite through civil action, Gutierrez said.
“Our goal is more of that component of helping isolation and depression,” she added. “We help by empowering veterans and reigniting their sense of service.”
Gutierrez said Phoenix leads the nation in comprehensive programs because everyone has come together and works together to provide the best local services for veterans, adding, “it is nice that we all aren’t reinventing the wheel.”
But with so many resources, Gutierrez said she worries that veterans will not be able to navigate through all the different websites and material, especially since the local resources are so much more valuable to veterans that do not want to go to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Somehow we need to have one place where there is a comprehensive catalog of these services,” Gutierrez said. She added with veterans’ services continuing to grow and evolve, she hopes to see sustainability of resources and engagement among veterans.
Harris said with all these new services, there is not an official next step, adding that each veteran is different and has different goals in life.
“We ask, ‘Where do you want to be in five years?’” Harris said. “‘Is it a specific job?’ ‘Is it moved into another state?’ ‘Is it going back to school because the job you want requires a bachelor’s?’ ‘Is it mental health assistance?’”
He said that, in the end, institutions, businesses and people need to keep looking at the problem and looking for new solutions; if not homelessness, then employment, and if not employment, then mental health.
America needs to get the veterans back to being contributing members for the country they fought for, Harris said.
And Phoenix is not the only city in the country that has ended chronic homelessness and is headed towards “functional zero.” According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, New Orleans, Houston, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City are all on the list.
“Phoenix was able to show if everyone works together, success is possible,” Stanton said. “Other cities saw it was possible.”
Groen said the task was not as daunting as everyone thought. From the time Phoenix made the goal to the time the city achieved it in 2013, 222 veterans were identified and placed into housing.
Stanton and Groen both said the distinction between homelessness and chronic homelessness is important to note, adding that they do not want people to think Phoenix “ended” homelessness, just hit the benchmark of ending “chronic” homelessness.
Groen added that Maricopa County does not want to be seen as “liars” to the their residents or the nation, and that it is important to define the message — this message being that we are at a starting point, not an ending point, and Phoenix has not hit “functional zero.”
Contact the reporter at sloane.mcgowan@asu.edu
