Vets@Home is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) supported technical assistance effort helping communities across the country end homelessness among veterans. One such community is the Annapolis/Anne Arundel County area in Maryland.
CSH, the lead technical assistance provider for this initiative, is working in Annapolis/Anne Arundel to develop veterans’ leadership teams, forge critical partnerships with local Veteran Administration Medical Centers (VAMCs) and Continuums of Care, and safely share data across systems to enable providers to quickly move veterans into stable housing.
CSH has partnered with the Annapolis/Anne Arundel Continuum of Care, Baltimore VAMC, and local Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) Providers, such as Alliance, to make gains on ending veteran homelessness.
Starting with Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), community leaders and advocates have quickly realized the importance of collecting and using data across different systems, including SSVF providers and Veterans Affairs. Through weekly case conference calls with the local veteran leadership group, the community has developed a comprehensive list, identified available housing resources based on vulnerability, and moved toward identifying gaps in housing and services.
This work has energized efforts to place the most vulnerable veterans in supportive housing and is helping to identify the resources necessary to house all veterans experiencing homelessness in Annapolis/Anne Arundel County.