I asked the question last week, where does a veteran go for immediate help when he/she just becomes homeless? You’ll get different answers from different people familiar with the process but here is my answer. If it is during normal working hours, the first stop should be the veteran homeless coordinators at the Maine Bureau of Veteran Services (MBVS). They are the most familiar with all the resources available.

If the veteran is in the VA system, then the next call would be to the VA homeless veteran coordinator. Both the VA and MBVS would be able to determine the availability of shelters, which all too often are full. Preble Street should be notified as they have the resources to help find housing, of course their grant has limitations so you have to qualify. Veteran services organizations are proactive in the process of helping veterans who become, or about to become, homeless. The VFW, American Legion, and DAV have their own resources both at the State level and at individual Posts. The Elks have a veteran program which helps with items needed for a veteran to transition into housing. Operation Brotherhood, Welcome Home, and Maine Veterans Project all have initiatives to help veterans who need assistance. While there are still others, the last organization, but perhaps the first after the MBVS, would be FEDCAP/Veterans Forward. Veterans Forward, along with the American Legion, has the contract to administer the State’s Veteran Emergency Financial Assistance Program (VEFAP) which provides funds, typically up to $2,000 per veteran per year, to assist veterans who qualify. Lots of organizations and too many for a veteran to remember when in an emergency situation. That is why the MBVS should be the first to call because they are aware of all these programs and the likelihood of a specific veteran to qualify. Another organization that is familiar with most of them is the Mid-Coast Veterans Resource Center located in Brunswick. All of these organizations are there to help….during normal business hours.

So, where do you turn afterhours or during weekends/holidays? The Maine Veterans in Need (MVN) which is an all-volunteer organization that takes no government money so we can make decisions on the spot with no paperwork required initially by the veteran. The goal is to get the veteran stabilized until the “system” catches up when they organizations are again open for business. MVN will immediately notify all the appropriate organizations of the situation so it will be in their “in box” on Monday morning.

The communications and the cooperation amongst all the organizations have significantly improved over the past several years. Many of the organizations are, in fact, members of MVN and most attend our monthly ZOOM meetings. We all share the information about the veterans we are working with, within the rules of confidentiality, ensuring that all available resources are made available to each veteran in need. Next week I’ll provide specific examples and how you can help.