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Homeless Veteran care

If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless due to financial hardship, unemployment, addiction, depression, or transition from jail, Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System can help you. Contact a homeless services care coordinator to get help.

Connect with a care coordinator

Melanie Stewart

VA Homeless & Compensated Work Therapy Program Manager

VA Eastern Oklahoma health care

Phone:

Care we provide at Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System

We help Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless due to financial hardship, unemployment, addiction, depression, or transition from jail. Contact a VA homeless services care coordinator to get help with: 

  • Immediate food and shelter, including both transitional and permanent housing
  • Job training, life skills development, and education
  • Support with justice system navigation and community re-entry from jail
  • Financial support to prevent homelessness
  • Treatment for addiction and depression
  • Health and dental care

Transitional Housing

The Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System works with several state and community agencies to place Veterans in transitional housing, while also providing support services and case management.

12 & 12 Inc.
Located in Tulsa, 12 & 12 Inc. is one of the largest and most comprehensive residential treatment centers in northeastern Oklahoma. Services include detox, residential treatment, transitional living, independent living and outpatient treatment. JCMVAMC contracts with 12 & 12 Inc. to offer six months of housing and support to female Veterans and men if beds are available.

Bryce House
Located in Tulsa, Bryce House is a residential treatment center for male Veterans recovering from substance abuse. Supportive services provided at the facility include case management, individual and group therapy, relapse prevention, employment counseling, and life skills training. Veterans can reside up to 24 months, are subject to rent payment, and are required to either work, volunteer or attend school.

Yale Apartments
Located in Tulsa, Yale Apartments provides a safe supportive environment conducive to recovery and attaining self sufficiency. VA has a contract with the Mental Health Association of Tulsa to provide transitional living for Veterans who have a mental health diagnosis. Veterans can reside at Yale Apartments for six months. During their six month stay, VA Homeless Program staff as well as Yale staff, help the veterans achieve their goals.

Permanent Housing

The Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) program provides supportive housing assistance to homeless Veterans and their families.

To be eligible for this program, the Veteran must be:

  • Currently homeless or imminently homeless (documented as being homeless within 14 days)
  • Meet financial eligibility guidelines established by HUD for the region
  • Have a case management need
  • Be willing to participate in on-going case management services

This innovative project promotes a team approach to ending homelessness. The Veteran works with a public housing authority case worker and VA case manager to actively address the issues that impaired his/her ability to maintain stable housing.

VA offers case management support and community resources to actively address those issues, and the public housing authority offers rental assistance in the selected, eligible unit chosen by the Veteran.

The goal is to help the Veteran obtain AND maintain stable housing for his/her household.

Compensated Work Therapy

The Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWT) is committed to assisting Veterans with psychiatric or physical disabilities reach their highest level of vocational productivity.

Programs include:

Transitional Work Experience: Contracts are negotiated with participating industries (including the VA and other agencies) for therapeutic work assignments. Veterans provide the labor as part of their overall treatment program and vocational plan.

The purpose is to develop skills to facilitate their transition into the competitive work environment. Transitional Work Experience reflects the realities of the competitive workplace. Work is performed under the supervision of a VA employee and indirectly under the supervision of the VA Program Manager.

Supported Employment: Supported Employment is designed to expand vocational opportunities for veterans with severe mental illness by emphasizing job accommodation, community-based employment, support and long-term follow-up. Employment specialists are trained to seek and locate real jobs in the community that match veterans’ interests, skills, and ability to work, even if only for a few hours a week.

Homeless Veterans Supported Employment: Provides assistance in locating and maintaining competitive community professions for Veterans who require assistance in career seeking and job stability, and have a desire for meaningful work. It is a partnership among the Veteran and Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist in determining the goals and abilities of the Veteran, and designing and implementing a plan of action to make those ambitions and passions a reality.

Additional Resources

Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) program will identify, outreach, educate and serve legally involved Veterans. Through collaboration with local courts and jails, the VJO works with Veterans, their family members, and sometimes their attorneys to identify Veterans engaged in our legal system, reach out to them even when incarcerated and educate them on VA benefits.

Homeless Substance Use Disorder Specialist provides case management and supportive therapy to homeless Veterans in the community. This worker provides Social Work interventions for individuals, families and groups. Specialist acts as a liaison with community agencies and coordinates community-based services including referral to or from VA programs, government programs, and community agency programs.

Stand Down - Annual event where numerous community agencies gather to provide resources and services to homeless Veterans to assist with ending homelessness.

Bus Tokens - given as needed for job searches or medical appointments.