VA Social Workers Changing Lives, One Veteran at a Time

Melissa Williams, VA VASH social worker, with HUD's Anthony McIntyre, revitalization specialist who works with the Homeless Veterans programs, including VASH.

Melissa Williams carries her work in her heart everywhere she goes. A couple of months ago, while attending a social gathering and realizing the person she was greeting was not the acquaintance she thought, they started talking about what each does for a living.

After sharing that she is a social worker who works with homeless veterans at G.V. Sonny Montgomery Hospital, the lady she met became startled, and said something to the effect of "I strongly believe that those two words should never go together- Homeless and Veterans." She went on to say how she didn't understand how our veterans could be homeless, even though they risked their lives for our freedom. Many people, including Melissa, find it hurtful to think that such a population exists. With that being said, she seized the opportunity to tell her more about how HUD and the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) collaborated together to create the HUD-VASH program.

Melissa explains to anyone who wants to listen that HUD-VASH is an effective program that assists more than 300 homeless veterans in obtaining and sustaining housing in the state of Mississippi. The program offers homeless veterans and their families a housing choice voucher that allows them to reside in safe and affordable housing. Case management services are also provided to address physical and mental illnesses, substance use disorders and any other concerns that might prevent housing stability.

The main goal is to end homelessness, help veterans maintain/sustain housing and help veterans reach their full functional capacity. While discussing the program in depth with her, she was amazed that such a program exists, offering great benefits to our homeless veterans.

This is one of Melissa's favorite stories to illustrate the HUD-VASH effects on homeless veterans daily: "Mr. Adam Langston (anonymous name) was a homeless veteran that recently received a HUD VASH voucher. He is a native of Alabama and relocated to Mississippi after he and his wife divorced. He has no family here, but wanted to move here because he desired to stay in the south and in close proximity to Alabama where his family resided. Upon arrival to Mississippi, Mr. Langston found work in the construction business. However, due to a changing economy and limited work within the construction business, Mr. Langston was left with little income to find stable housing. His limited income and extensive history of alcoholism left him homeless off/on for six years. During this time, Mr. Langston lived in various places: homeless shelters, vacant buildings and sometimes a cardboard box in Downtown Jackson.

"In August 2014, Mr. Langston's life changed for the better. He received a HUD VASH housing choice voucher and is now residing in a one-bedroom apartment at a senior citizen housing complex with his peers. He absolutely loves his new neighbors and is enjoying playing spades and watching football with them. He recently told me that having his own place is quite different from living on the streets, and that this change was good for him. Now that Mr. Langston is housed and is working with another construction company, he has decreased his drinking and desires to stop drinking completely. He understands that his history of alcoholism is another hurdle to jump, but with the HUD VASH program and case management services, he is more optimistic about the outcome of his future."

Melissa's work at the VA is changing lives, one veteran at a time.

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