Minnesota announces ‘effective end’ to veteran homelessness, achieving decades-long goal

Minnesota announces ‘effective end’ to veteran homelessness, achieving decades-long goal Renée Cooper KSTP Minnesota officials say the state has reached a milestone that makes veteran homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.State officials said Ramsey County became the final community needed to effectively end veteran homelessness statewide, announcing the milestone on Tuesday.RELATED: Hennepin County maintains ‘effective end’ to veteran homelessness, as Minnesota nears statewide milestoneThis does not mean zero veterans are experiencing homelessness or that none ever will again. Instead, officials explained, it means veterans who become homeless are now being connected to housing through a statewide system within a few months.“I was faced with starting all over again,” said Army veteran Todd Smith.Smith, a resident of Veterans Village in Eagan, shared his story of loss and challenges after coming home. He thanked the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) for helping him find a home there.“I was able to address my legal and mental health challenges,” said Smith. “Eventually leading me to break my addiction.”Smith paused as others applauded during the event. The announcement marked the state making good on a goal set more than 20 years ago.Gov. Tim Walz said it was made possible with bipartisan support, housing investments and help from dozens of government and nonprofit partners.“No one is taking a victory lap on this; we’re simply marking a milestone that allows us to continue to move even further,” said Gov. Walz.RELATED: Breaking down Minnesota’s unprecedented $2.6B investment in homelessness, housingMinnesota Department of Veteran Affairs Commissioner Brad Lindsay said one key metric needed to achieve an effective end to homelessness is that when a veteran becomes homeless, that person is housed within 90 days. He said that means a permanent home with support services if needed, not a shelter or another temporary space.“For example, imagine if a homeless system operated like a well-functioning hospital,” said Commissioner Lindsay. “That hospital will not necessarily prevent people from ever becoming sick, but it will ensure people are triaged appropriately, promptly, receive the services they need and address the illness, preventing further harm.”Cathy ten Broeke, assistant commissioner and executive director of the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, said the effort offers a model for broader work on homelessness. “There is more that we can do, and this showed how to do it,” said ten Broeke.Ten Broeke said the same approach can work beyond veterans, even if it looks different for other groups. She said the key is creating homes and providing services when people need them.“It may not all look the same, but at the core of the solution to homelessness is always the creation of homes and then, if services are needed, to support those services as well,” said ten Broeke. “And we can do this by bringing together whatever partners are needed for whatever population we’re focused on.”Officials said one key to this effort was creating a registry in 2014 to track veteran homelessness. As of this week, they said about 100 veterans are on that list, and all are on the path to getting housed.