• (833) 222-(MACV)6228
  • mac-v@mac-v.org
MAC-V
  • Donate Now
  • Menu Canvas
    • Home
    • Who We Serve
    • Our Services
      • Housing
      • Employment
      • Vetlaw
        • Justice Involved Veterans
    • Get Help
      • Submit a Request for Service
      • Find a Local Office
      • Resource Directory
    • About Us
      • 2024 Annual Report
      • Our History
      • Our Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff
      • Philanthropic Partners
      • Digital Resources
      • Work For MACV
    • Events
    • Blog
    • Support
      • Volunteer
      • Contact Us
      • FAQs
      • Donation Information
    • Donate Now
  • (833) 222-(MACV)6228
  • mac-v@mac-v.org
MAC-V
  • Home
  • Who We Serve
  • Our Services
    • Housing
    • Employment
    • Vetlaw
      • Justice Involved Veterans
  • Get Help
    • Submit a Request for Service
    • Find a Local Office
    • Resource Directory
  • About Us
    • 2024 Annual Report
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Philanthropic Partners
    • Digital Resources
    • Work For MACV
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Volunteer
    • Contact Us
    • FAQs
    • Donation Information
  • Donate Now
Meeting looks at progress, more work needed on Veteran homelessness
Home News Meeting looks at progress, more work needed on Veteran homelessness

Meeting looks at progress, more work needed on Veteran homelessness

Kim North
July 12, 2023
News
Veterans housing 1

Sue Worlds (front), the Radichel TownHomes housing director for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, brings veterans organization leaders on a tour of the housing complex Tuesday. Veterans group leaders met in Mankato to discuss progress and ongoing work to address veterans homelessness.

Photos by Pat Christman

Veterans group leaders met Tuesday in Mankato to discuss both progress and the need for ongoing vigilance in combating veteran homelessness in Minnesota.

The state had 318 veterans on its homeless registry on July 3, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. The southeast Minnesota region, which includes Blue Earth County, accounted for 13 on the registry as of early 2023.

The registry enables state agencies and veterans organizations to track vets in homelessness with the goal of rapidly housing them. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Minnesota Commanders’ Task Force, veterans leaders spoke about how the registry contributed to milestones in Mankato’s continuum of care region and seven others elsewhere in the state.

Those eight regions “effectively ended” veteran homelessness in recent years, while the two remaining regions in Hennepin and Ramsey counties could reach the benchmark next year.

As the registry numbers indicate, the distinction doesn’t mean Minnesota has no veterans in homelessness. “Effectively ending” homelessness, also known as achieving “functional zero,” indicates systems are in place in a given region to quickly respond to a veteran in need of housing when such an incident occurs, said Ellsworth Fields, state commander of the Disabled American Veterans Department of Minnesota, or DAV.

“We don’t want to project the idea that ‘Hey, job done. Let’s move on to the next thing,’” he said. “We just have the processes and support in place to address it.”

As Nathaniel Saltz put it, the goal is for veteran homelessness to be “rare, brief and non-recurring.” Saltz serves as chief program officer of the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, or MACV.

DAV and MACV were among several organizations involved in the meeting Tuesday at Morson-Ario-Strand VFW Post 950. The commanders’ task force, composed of leaders from a number of veterans service organizations in the state, regularly meets to discuss homelessness and other issues impacting veterans.

The group discussed how misconceptions about “ending” homelessness could lead people to think more work, or funding to address the issue, isn’t needed. There is much to be proud of in homelessness response, Saltz said, but the effort is ongoing.

“If we’re not watching the system and maintaining it and taking care of it and improving it, we’re going to backslide,” he said.

After the meeting, task force members toured MACV’s Paul and Dorothy Radichel Veteran TownHomes in Mankato. Opened in 2006, the program includes 11 supportive housing rental units for veterans.

Veterans living in the townhomes receive help connecting to VA health care benefits, mental and chemical health support, transportation and food support, said MACV’s Radichel TownHomes housing director Sue Worlds during the tour.

Veterans housing 2
Ellsworth Fields, state commander for Disabled American Veterans, discusses veteran homelessness with Sue Worlds, the director of the Radichel TownHomes supportive housing complex for veterans.

MACV received $7.8 million in funding from the Minnesota Legislature this year for the nonprofit’s homelessness programs. Most of the funding is to be used on new permanent supportive housing options for veterans.

 

7/12/23 Mankato Free Press by Brian Arola 

 

Tags: affordable housing Continued Services End Veteran Homelessness Homeless Homeslessness Housing Assistance MACV MACV South Region Mankato Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans
Previous Story
MACV At Twin Cities Pride Festival
Next Story
MACV Veteran Story: Ricardo

Search

Categories

  • Causes
  • Employment
  • Feature Story
  • Housing
  • Legal
  • News
  • Outreach
  • Services and Other
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteers
  • Ways To Give
Allie Andersen 9/11 ADU Amy Wicklund Ashley Stai Apartments 2025 Salute To Servicewomen Golf Classic Aging Veterans Apple Autos Amanda Hooper Ajay Vogar Armed Forces auction 2023 festival 1-651-200-4750 Arlington House Army Veteran Alcoholism American Indian OIC Advocacy Annual Report @lionsclubs aspen Allen Henry Announcement Art 2024 Salute To Servicewomen Golf Classic Anoka affordable housing 23rd Veteran Air Force Veteran @mnstatefair 22-2 American Legion Accessory Dwelling Unit 988 Press 1 5 Reasons Why 2021 AJ Brock @StandForHeroes American Legion Auxiliary 3M American Legion Juniors Apartments For Veterans Alan Vanhoever
  • FAQ’s
  • SUPPORT
  • DONATE NOW

Talk With Us

Click to send us a message.

MACV

MACV is a Veteran nonprofit organization with the mission to end Veteran homelessness in Minnesota.

  • ST. PAUL
    1000 University Avenue West
    Suite 10, St. Paul, MN 55104
  • (833) 222-(MACV)6228
  • mac-v@mac-v.org
    (For donations please mail here.)

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Who We Serve
  • Our Services
  • Get Help
  • About Us
  • Events
  • Blog

Support

  • Contact Us
  • FAQs
  • Donate Now
  • Privacy Policy

Our Locations

Copyright MACV ©2023
campaign
Send us your event


SearchPostsLogin
Monday, 12, May
MACV Employee Spotlight – Sara Beebe
Friday, 25, Apr
Advocates warn proposed bill could increase Veteran homelessness in Minnesota
Friday, 25, Apr
Celebrating Our Volunteers: MACV’s 2nd Annual Appreciation Event
Tuesday, 22, Apr
Breaking Ground on the 15th Housing for Heroes Home
Monday, 21, Apr
Veterans housing initiative breaks ground on 15th Minnesota home
Wednesday, 16, Apr
MACV Employee Spotlight – Tim Peterson

Welcome back,