Operation: Reveille-HELPING OUR HOMELESS VETERANS

Operation: Reveille

Tampa/Hillsborough County

 

As a member Hillsborough County  Affordable Housing Advisory Board , a Veteran and a member of Affordable Housing committee thru Greater Tampa Bay Realty Ass, I thought it was essential that I mentioned this extraordinary event that will take place next month. The event is called OPERATION: Reveille, it will provide housing to a few homeless Veterans. Below is the action plan for the program.

On November 11, 2014, as a part of President Obama’s goal to end Veteran homelessness by 2015 and the Veteran’s Administration’s 25 Cities Initiative, the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI), in collaboration with the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County, will launch Operation: Reveille-Tampa/Hillsborough County. 

 

In one day, this will bring together federal, state, and local government agencies, faith-based organizations, housing providers, intense case management, employment services, job training, legal assistance, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, social security, veterans benefits, financial counseling, health care, household supplies and other services.

 

The start of the Operation: Reveille will begin with each Veteran being assigned a volunteer, a Comrade.  Based on the Veteran’s needs, a Comrade will assist the Veteran throughout the day going through all of the available services.  They will get a hot breakfast together, followed by an assessment.  This will assist the Veterans by determining which of the on-site services are needed for housing stability.  Veterans will be able to schedule follow-up appointments with any of the 20 providers through a Case Manager that they will have assigned to them for up to 12 months.  The final assessment of the day will be “housing selection”.  Each Veteran will be presented with various housing options.  This will provide up to 12 months of housing and wrap around supportive services for 50 Veterans.  Each home will be pre-furnished and stocked with food and household supplies. 

 

 

Goals:

1.    Rapidly re-house Veterans on Veteran’s Day

2.    Bring together a wide range of partners to ensure a collaborative impact on a national level.

3.    Develop a system that ensures a Veteran never sleeps on the streets of in an emergency shelter in Hillsborough County.

Partners:

Ø U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development

Ø U.S Department of Veteran Administration

Ø Hillsborough County Department of Homeless Services

Ø City of Tampa Housing and Community Development

Ø Tampa Housing Authority

Ø Tampa Bay Rays Foundation

Ø Greater Tampa Association of Realtors (GTAR)

Ø Tampa Bay Lightning

Ø Support the Troops

Ø Rebuild Together

Ø Tampa Port Authority

Ø St. Vincent DePaul

Ø Catholic Charities

Ø Tampa Crossroads

Ø ACTS

 

 

Ainsley Daux

Florida Realty