Orlando, Fla. — The Central Florida Commission on Homelessness (CFCH), a non-profit organization committed to finding solutions for ending homelessness, held a community stakeholder briefing on its partnership initiative to end Veteran homelessness in our region this year. Dr. David Swanson, Lead Pastor for First Presbyterian Church of Orlando and chair of the Commissions’ Chronic Homelessness Committee, hosted the event on June 30th.
The plan will offer long-term support and stability to veterans in our community who are living without a home of their own. In collaboration with the local Veterans Affairs (VA) and Homeless Services Network (HSN), the plan includes a “Surge” outreach initiative to locate every homeless veteran in Central Florida. The “Surge” count will take place across the region during the week of July 20. Community advocates will lead hundreds of volunteers in this effort to identify homeless veterans in need. The partnership initiative is truly historic in its scope and it will permanently reshape the response to housing instability for veterans in need. With coordination among Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, Central Florida will be known as a place that treats its veterans with the dignity and respect they deserve.
City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said this about ending Veterans homelessness: “We have seen the power of partnerships here in Central Florida from SunRail to our Community Venues to the UCF Medical School. Now we are using the strength of public-private partnerships, to end Veterans homelessness and ensure that everyone who served in our armed forces has the housing, support and help they deserve.”
Speaking about the plan to end Veteran homelessness, Dr. Swanson said: “We as a community need to go find our homeless Veterans and help them. The men and women who served in this country’s armed forces deserve a home to call their own. We will not rest until every veteran is off the streets.”
The community stakeholder briefing will allow stakeholders from the community – including elected officials, business & faith leaders, nonprofit partners and volunteers – the opportunity to come together to review final plans and hear coordination details about the upcoming “Surge” count. Training sessions for volunteers will be held in locations around the region starting Monday, July 13th.
Dick Batchelor, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War and currently chairs the Family Homelessness Committee of the CFCH, hopes local leaders will galvanize around these efforts.
“There has been a lot of momentum on the issue of homelessness in our community,” Batchelor said. “We must keep the momentum strong and direct it with action toward Veterans who bravely fought to protect this county but are left unprotected themselves. “Central Florida Commission on Homelessness President/CEO Andrae Bailey said this about the “Surge: “Our region has a duty to identify Veterans who need help and deliver that support. They served this country courageously, so we must provide the stability they deserve.”
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