(KNSI) – The St. Cloud VA Medical Center says it’s deployed a network of programs to address homelessness among veterans in central Minnesota, and they’re seeing results.
Denis McGinnis, a social worker who conducts street outreach for the facility, told KNSI that understanding the problem is the key to fixing it. When asked what rises to the top as a primary cause for homelessness, McGinnis said the issue is more complicated than a single factor. “I’d say it’s more than likely it’s a combination of three poverty, mental health, and addiction.”
Homelessness encompasses multiple situations, McGinnis explained, from individuals living on the streets, those in shelters, and transitional housing programs.
McGinnis described what he called a great treatment program that addresses both the addiction and the mental health component. “We have seven clinicians who are tasked specifically with serving people who are experiencing homelessness. We have a social worker who goes into the jails and prisons who reach out to veterans who are going to be released soon.”
The facility’s programs also include support staff helping veterans maintain stable housing after placement. “I call it the muscle memory of recovery. Learning to make those decisions that keep you housed.”
He says the St. Cloud area benefits from strong collaboration between multiple organizations, including Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Place of Hope, county social workers, veteran service officers, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, MACV, Lincoln Warming Center, Haven for Heroes, and Eagles Healing Nest.
Veterans or community members concerned about a veteran can contact the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. Local assistance is available through the St. Cloud VA at 320-252-1670, extension 7191.
In November of 2021, Governor Tim Walz held an event in St. Cloud to mark the “effective end” of veteran homelessness in central Minnesota.
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