A Place to Call Home: How Goodwill Helps Veterans with Housing Assistance Programs
Turning the key on your own front door is a feeling most of us take for granted. The old saying ” There’s no place like home” captures it perfectly. A home provides more than just shelter.
Unfortunately, right now, hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. are without a home of their own. On any given night in January 2021, nearly 400,000 people were staying in a temporary shelter.
At Ohio Valley Goodwill, we’re committed to helping people in Greater Cincinnati who don’t have a place to call home find one.
Help for Homeless Veterans
It’s a startling reality, but our nation’s veterans are more likely to experience homelessness than our country’s general population. Right now, 8 percent of unhoused people are veterans.
Those numbers have improved over the last decade, but Ohio Valley Goodwill is determined to continue the fight to end homelessness, especially among our veterans.
Goodwill is proud to participate in Cincinnati’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Projects (HVRP), employment-driven Department of Labor-funded programs designed to provide the supports and assistance needed for eligible veterans to obtain employment, housing assistance, and economic stability.
Through these programs, assistance is available to help veterans find safe and affordable housing. Beyond finding a place to call home, these specialized services are comprehensive, helping with career planning and securing a job. Case management services, counseling, transportation, clothing, and child care assistance are also available for those who qualify.
Ohio Valley Goodwill also operates a VA-funded ” Per diem” residential program designed to help eligible unhoused veterans in need of employment assistance and intensive and holistic services in order to achieve long-term self-sufficiency and full-time employment in their community. Without these essential services, we know it’s possible our area veterans might find themselves unable to find, afford, and keep long-term housing.
New Beginnings for Those Most Vulnerable
Finding and securing housing is especially hard for people who face significant hurdles in life. Nearly a quarter of all unhoused people have some sort of disability, including chronic illness, physical disability, mental health disorders, and developmental disabilities.
In order to lift themselves out of homelessness, many of these individuals need a helping hand “” someone to guide them down a path to self-sufficiency in life. That’s where Goodwill comes in!
Similar to our specialized services for veterans, Ohio Valley Goodwill offers assistance to help unhoused individuals and families, including individuals with disabilities. We work with several Housing and Urban Development programs, including HUD’s Rapid Re-housing Assistance Project, which aids eligible individuals in obtaining safe and affordable housing. Under this project, eligible individuals not only receive help finding housing; they also benefit from employment services, personalized coaching on money and time management, how to maintain a home, how to keep a nutritious diet while living on their own, and more. The end goal is a self-sufficient, productive, and happy future!
Learn More About Goodwill’s Specialized Services
If you know someone who’s struggling with homelessness, contact Ohio Valley Goodwill to learn more about our specialized services available in Greater Cincinnati. With a little support and a guiding hand, it is possible to step into a brighter future!
Ohio Valley Goodwill’s mission is all about helping people empower themselves through the power of work and learning. For over 100 years, we have been committed to enriching Greater Cincinnati through programs that focus on the most vulnerable members of our community. There truly is no place like home, and we stand ready to help people experience the peace, dignity, and security of having their own place to call home.
