Rolling Up Sleeves to End Veteran Homelessness

Several members of the Working Group to End Veteran Homelessness in Dover with Mayor Christiansen and Kent County Levy Court Commissioner Allan Angel.

Mayor Christiansen at the podium challenging all to roll up their sleeves and get to work to end Veteran Homelessness in Dover.

Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen is rolling up his sleeves to end homelessness among veterans in the Capital City. During a press conference in Dover on the eve of Veterans Day, the Mayor announced the city's participation in the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness by the end of 2015.

"I challenge mayors from all over the state of Delaware--from Wilmington to Delmar--to participate," Mayor Christiansen said.

Through the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness (https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Mayors-Challenge-Fact-Sheet.pdf), mayors and other state and local leaders across the country will marshal Federal, local and nonprofit efforts to end Veteran homelessness in their communities. Mayor Christiansen has established a Working Group to End Veteran Homelessness to plan how Dover will reach that goal. William Farley, chair of the working group and vice chairman of the Commission of Veterans Affairs, says Dover's approach to the challenge is three-pronged including outreach, prevention and diversion. During the outreach, the group will determine how many homeless vets are in Dover. According to Farley, that will include those living on the street, those who are temporarily staying with family members and those veterans who are jobless and are on the verge of losing their homes. The Homeless Planning Council will keep track of the number of homeless veterans. Once the number and the identities of homeless vets are obtained, the goal will be to find permanent homes for these service members and help prevent other veterans from becoming homeless.

"Failure is not an option," Mayor Christiansen said to the working group.

The working group includes representatives from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs, the Homeless Planning Council of Delaware, Dover Housing Authority, the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs, Connections, Inc., the Interfaith Mission for Housing, Pointman Ministries, Veterans United Outreach of Delaware, the Delaware Stand Down, Dover City Planning and Community Development Department, Delaware Joining Forces, and the Delaware Veterans Coalition.

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