Wednesday, October 22, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO VETERANS HOMELESS OUTREACH - BART STATION - ENDING CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS - THE ROLL OF COURTS AND ADVOCATES



THIS VIDEO IS OVER AN HOUR. It's interesting and important.

FROM YOUTUBE :  THIS VIDEO WAS Published on May 21, 2014
ENDING THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS:
THE ROLE OF COURTS, LAWYERS AND ADVOCATES
San Francisco, CA
April 25, 2014

Program materials can be accessed at:

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION - POVERTY - HOMELESSNESS - EVENTS

Welcome, Introductions and Framing Questions
Hon. Gordon Baranco, Superior Court of Alameda County, CA

It Takes a BIG Village: The Success behind the VA's Homeless Veterans Outreach Initiative

In 2009, President Barack Obama and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced the goal of ending Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Since 2009, the number of Veterans who are homeless has dropped by 17.2 percent. Together with partners and supporters nationwide, the VA Homeless Veterans Outreach Initiative has facilitated the establishment of a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary and highly effective network of programs addressing the myriad barriers to ending homelessness among veterans. The network includes outreach initiatives, housing, income supports, medical and mental healthcare, education, job training, reentry planning and other critically needed services. The network also includes the Veterans Justice Outreach Program which seeks to prevent the unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration among veterans. As a result of VA leadership, the legal community across the country has joined
together to create not only Veterans Treatment Courts, but a variety of pro bono and specialty programs aimed at addressing the civil and criminal legal issues facing veterans. The panelists will discuss why this comprehensive network has succeeded in ending homelessness among significant numbers of veterans at a time when homelessness among individuals and families continues to increase.

Moderator:
Paul Freese, JD, Vice President, Public Counsel, Los Angeles, CA; Special Advisor on Homeless Veterans, ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty

Speakers:

Suzanne Will, JD, Regional Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs, San Francisco, CA

Joel Rosenthal, PhD, National Training Director, VA Veterans Justice Programs

No comments: