| Recipient: | The Saint John Human Development Council |
|---|---|
| Project: | Veteran Connections to Home |
| Province: | New Brunswick |
| Period: | 31 March 2022 – 31 March 2024 |
| Funding: | $450,000 |
Overview:
The Saint John Human Development Council identifies and addresses social issues in New Brunswick through research, information, coordination, and networking. With funding from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, they will form a Veteran Connections Team to identify and collect data on homeless Veterans living in the communities of Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John. They will coordinate with existing homelessness reduction efforts and integrate Veteran support services into a broader community system.
Project goals:
The main goal of this project was to provide a clear path out of homelessness and into housing for Veterans living in the communities of Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John.
Project activities:
To achieve these goals, the Saint John Human Development Council completed the three primary following activities:
- Achieve Quality Data on Veteran Homelessness
- Systems Navigation to provide access to housing and support for veterans experiencing homelessness.
- Systems Coordination/Integration between the homeless-serving sector and veteran serving agencies.
Project results:
The Saint John Human Development Council is delighted with the Veteran Connections to Home. Here is a summary of the achieved activities outlined in the initial application to Veterans Affairs Canada:
- Veteran Connectors were recruited and hired in each of the three designated communities.
- Data collection process in each community was evaluated, gaps were identified and a path to a standardized collection was outlined and initiated in each community.
- Veteran Connectors worked to build relationships with local Veteran serving departments and agencies like Veterans Affairs Canada, local Royal Canadian Legion leadership, local homelessness sector service agencies and other community supports identified as relevant to supports needed. (health providers, food security, employability services etc.)
- Veteran Connectors worked as part of local community service planning tables and committees to ensure that veteran support services have begun to be well integrated into the broader community system and homeliness sector.
A total of 82 Veterans were supported throughout this project, ultimately improving the well-being and stability of these 82 individuals across all three cities.