SPONSORED BY: BLUE CROSS & BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA.

“Combating the Causes of Homelessness Amoungst our Veterans!”  

CONFERENCE NARRATIVE & CASE STUDY OVERVIEW:

The second installment of our ChapsCon series (Sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina); entitled “Homes for the Brave;” focused on identifying community, policy, financial, & collaborative solutions to combating homelessness and the socio-economic displacement of our nation’s most vulnerable communities; particularly recently transitioned service-members, female veterans, service-disabled heroes, and children.

Homelessness and socio-economic displacement within our military community is one of our nation’s most disheartening truths.  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs calculates “that about 12% of the adult homeless population are veterans; the majority of which suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders.”  Approximately 9% are between the ages of 18 and 30, and 41% are service-members of the Iraq and Afghanistan generation.  It has been calculated that nearly 1.4 million other veterans, are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES, & OUTCOMES:

The goal of  our “Homes for the Brave” summit was to create an intellectual environment where social, community, philanthropic, and federal organizations can explore the kinds of partnerships that would expand their capability to serve the needs and interests of our nation’s displaced. The 2-day event not only brought national leaders in public policy, research, and academia to discuss ways to improve best practices, but also served as the platform through which national charities, community organizations, health centers, military leadership, and funding organizations were able to:

1. Discuss ways to implement successful housing strategies into in their daily practices;
2. Better understand the housing and socio-economic needs of transitioning veterans, displaced women vets, and disabled service-members;
3. Explore the serious health and wellness issues that also impact our military’s displaced;
4. Identify new and innovative approaches to creating pathways for our veterans to gain access to adequate housing;
5. Grow their impact through unique partnerships; and
6. Explore ways to collaborate and broaden their capacity to serve!

FEATURED PRESENTATION | CNN DIGITAL’S “The UNCOUNTED”

Lastly, CNN Communications extended us permission to feature videos and personal accounts captured through their award-nominated web-series.  In March of 2014, CNN Digital published a docu-series about suicides among military family members, entitled “The Uncounted” (created by Ashley Fantz and Nick Scott).  In the summer of 2014 (at the urging of military family groups) a report was given to Congress on what it would take to track suicides of military-service family members.  “The Uncounted” captures the experiences of these families, and provides an intimate portrait of their stories; told through the eyes of siblings, spouses, parents, and children.

POINTS OF REFERENCE:

» Pre-Conference Research Assessment.
» Pre-Conference Media-Run (Business Radio X).
» Speaker Listing & Bios.
» Conference Recap Report and Research Postscript © (currently unavailable for download).
» Event Photo Album (access available by request). 

A special thanks to:

BlueCross Blue Shield of North Carolina | The Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club | Healing with CAARE, Inc. | Women Veterans Interactive | Kognito Interactive
Dryhootch of America | Veterans Empowerment Organization | HR Staffing Services at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs | Dillon Consulting Services, LLC | Veterans 360, Inc.
Duke Interdisciplinary Social Innovators (DISI) | Stop Soldier Suicides, Inc. | Triad Developer’s Guild (TDG) | United States Public Health Service
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans | The Wounded Warrior Project | The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration
Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust | The Soldiers Project | CNN Digital’s “The Uncounted” | Blue Star Families | NC Coalition to End Homelessness
US Congressman David Price (NC-4th District) | The Office of then Acting US Surgeon General Rear Admiral Dr. Boris D. Lushniak

for contributing to the development of our conference.