The following is a news release from the City of Lancaster:
Lancaster Vice Mayor Marvin Crist – Courtesy of City of Lancaster
The motion directed AVTA Executive Director Julie Austin to immediately plan and implement as soon as possible a free, at least weekly, AVTA transportation service for Antelope Valley Veterans to travel to the Veterans Administration Offices in Westwood, CA. This request derived from a cooperative effort by the City and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to achieve greater support for veterans in need throughout the region, especially those who are homeless. The motion passed with a 5-0 vote.
“There is literally a billion dollars nationwide available to help the homeless, but we have a serious problem getting our veterans to the Veterans Administration Offices in Westwood, which is where they need to go to ensure they receive access to the benefits and services they’ve earned,” said Vice Mayor Crist. “With an Antelope Valley homeless population of more than 6,950, and about 40% of those individuals being veterans, we really need to take greater action in facilitating their rights and getting them into shelter and housing.”
The motion (included below) drew a second from Board Member Norm Hickling, who suggested the Veterans Administration and LAHSA join in a meeting with AVTA and the City to work out the details of how to make the proposal happen. Vice Mayor Crist also pointed out that there are grants currently available as a resource for our community efforts, such as those aiding Mental Health America (MHA). However, he insisted, these grants simply aren’t big enough for our population of need. He also emphasized the pertinence of involving Judy Cooperberg (MHA) and the Homeless Coalition in this process to get the ball rolling.
During the past several months, the Lancaster City Council has been working with a number of community organizations, including the faith-based community, to combat severe socio-economic issues which have resulted from under-funding and neglect from existing social services resources at the County, State and Federal levels. The City aims to put a mandate in place which protects veterans from the unacceptable conditions with which they now struggle.
“Providing a free ride south to the Veterans Administration is a good start to doing something right for those men and women who have courageously served our country,” said Lancaster Councilman Ronald D. Smith. “This is the beginning of many changes to come, as we work to restructure the level, quality and type of services provided to those in need throughout our community.”
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MOTION BY BOARD MEMBERS CRIST & SMITH
AVTA Board Meeting – March 25, 2014
– As you are well aware, the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, and the County of Los Angeles have been actively working with the faith-based and social service communities to more effectively address homelessness in the A.V.
– One of our first steps was to establish, and fund, an emergency Winter Shelter program at the A.V. Fairgrounds, which has literally meant the difference between life and death to some of our homeless citizens.
– To gain more resources for the A.V., we recently met with LAHSA – it was a very contentious meeting, and we didn’t always agree, especially regarding the subject of the A.V. being woefully underfunded compared to other areas of the County.
– One thing we did agree on, however, is the need to address homelessness among our veterans; we estimate there could be as many as 2,800 homeless veterans in the A.V.
– To our pleasant surprise, LAHSA not only agreed with us on this goal, but will be working with us to access funding specifically targeted towards veteran services and to alleviate veteran homelessness.
– We need to provide more resources to our faith-based and service communities – organizations like Mental Health America (MHA), under the leadership of Judy Cooperberg, who already provide services to 500 veterans and their families in the A.V. through a $1.5 million grant under the Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. This is specifically to prevent veteran homelessness and help those veterans who are homeless.
– The Federal Government has an admirable goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2016; that is not good enough for the A.V. We are working towards ending veteran homelessness in the A.V. before 2016.
– Based on our meetings with LAHSA, it became apparent that we have a transportation problem when it comes to our veterans being able to travel to the V.A. Offices in Westwood to access the benefits and services they have earned defending our freedoms. This is a situation we cannot tolerate and one that we must alleviate.
– NOW, THEREFORE, we direct the AVTA Executive Director to immediately plan and implement as soon as possible a free, at least weekly, AVTA transportation service for Antelope Valley Veterans to travel to the V.A. Offices in Westwood.
