OHCS is pleased to announce the launch of an effort to end Veterans experiencing homelessness in Oregon. Through “Operation Welcome Home” OHCS will utilize Veterans lottery funds to provide technical assistance (TA) for up to ten communities across Oregon to support their efforts to house as many Veterans experiencing homelessness as possible over six months, and to achieve the criteria and benchmarks established by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). According to guidance released by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness in February 2017, Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Veteran Homelessness to be effective a community has to meet the following benchmarks.

  1. The community has identified all Veterans experiencing homelessness.
  2. The community provides shelter immediately to any Veteran experiencing unsheltered homelessness who wants it.
  3. The community provides service-intensive transitional housing only in limited instances.
  4. The community has capacity to assist Veterans to swiftly move into permanent housing.
  5. The community has resources, plans, partnerships, and system capacity in place should any Veteran become homeless or be at risk of homelessness in the future.

The communities selected will be asked to participate in two to three day-long trainings, smaller regional meetings, and regular teleconference trainings with peer communities and the TA providers between November 2018 and May 2019.

Additionally, selected communities representatives will also be asked to participate in a statewide launch event a few days after Veterans Day in November. Dates and locations for the launch and trainings will be announced prior to the launch.

If your community is interested in receiving this TA support, we ask that you apply by answering these questions from the Survey Link at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Operation_Welcome_Home.

The application will remain open for two weeks and we may follow up with individual communities for additional information as necessary. OHCS is excited to begin this important journey with our partners ending Veteran homelessness around the state. We look forward to your responses.

Any questions about this application or the campaign should be directed to Gus Bedwell, OHCS Veteran Housing Integrator by email;  Gus.L.Bedwell@oregon.gov, or phone; 971-718-7222.

ATTACHMENT: Operation Welcome Home: Application Questions