Resources to Assist Veterans At-risk of Homelessness
Wednesday, September 28
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Helping Homeless Veterans Access VA Programs and Resources
You may have heard the sentiment that “we are all one paycheck away from being homeless.” Unfortunately, this is a reality for many of our nation’s heroes, as Veterans are over-represented among the homeless population across the US. Many Veterans at risk of homelessness may have limited access to the internet and the host of available national and community resources. This webinar will present an overview of all services for Veterans and highlight 15 programs that specifically address those that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless so that you can connect the Veterans and families in your community to these resources.
Learning Objectives:
- Reference basic information about VA and how Veterans can access benefits from VA
- State reasons that homelessness impacts Veterans
- Demonstrate knowledge of VA’s mission to end Veteran Homelessness
- Locate resources to help Homeless and at risk Veterans
- Understand how you can support and guide Veterans who may be using resources within your library
About Department of Veterans Affairs:
Department of Veterans Affairs Mission Statement -
To fulfill President Lincoln's promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans.
Core Values -
VA’s five core values underscore the obligations inherent in VA’s mission: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. The core values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans and eligible beneficiaries. Our values are more than just words – they affect outcomes in our daily interactions with Veterans and eligible beneficiaries and with each other. Taking the first letter of each word—Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence—creates a powerful acronym, “I CARE,” that reminds each VA employee of the importance of their role in this Department. These core values come together as five promises we make as individuals and as an organization to those we serve.
Please Note: This is a free webinar and you will not receive CE credits
Speaker:
Erin Gittens, Department of Veterans Affairs
Erin currently serves as a Management Analyst for the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) Benefits Assistance Service (BAS). She is the Program Manager for the Homeless Veteran Program as well as the Justice Involved Veteran Program for VBA. Erin came to VA as a Rating Veteran Service Representative at the Appeals Management Center. Erin was promoted to Change Management Agent and Assistant Coach where she assisted her office with transformation initiatives involving paperless claims processing and cross training team members to form more productive teams. Erin was then promoted to a position in the Office of Communications and Case Management where she handled inquiries from veterans and survivors for the Under Secretary for Benefits.
Prior to joining the VA, Erin was the director of residential and rehabilitation programs for people with intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury and chronic mental illness in her home state of Massachusetts. Much of Erin’s experience with this population came from her service as a Behavioral Science Specialist in the US Army. Erin spent three years in the US Army reserves as a Combat Medic and Psychiatric Specialist before joining Active Duty where she spent eight years serving military members and their families in both inpatient, outpatient and field mental health settings. Erin deployed to Haiti with 10th Mountain Division and Bosnia with 1st Armored Division. She ended her military career at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC to raise her family.