Thank you all for coming.
 If you haven't already grabbed some lunch in the back
 and a drink, please do so, but we're gonna get started.
 I'm Mary Morgan with Heading Home of South Central Indiana.
 And we are so excited that you all are here today
 to help us focus on solving veteran homelessness.
 So let's give all of y'all a round of applause
 for showing up and doing the work.
 (audience applauding)
 So for those of you that are not familiar with Heading Home,
 we're a fairly new initiative that was created
 to look at system changes regionally
 that will address housing insecurity and homelessness.
 So we are working with many of the partners in this room
 to identify things we can change and improve
 so that if people become homeless,
 we can more quickly move those folks into housing
 or we can prevent people
 from becoming homeless in the first place.
 So we're excited about that work.
 One of our initiatives is focused on veteran homelessness.
 You're gonna hear a lot about this today.
 But the thing that I would like to stress
 because this is a landlord appreciation lunch
 is that you who are landlords and property managers
 are so crucial to this work.
 We could not do it without you.
 Yes.
 (audience applauding)
 And we probably don't tell you often enough
 or deeply enough how much that means to us.
 So thank you so much for being here
 and thank you for the work that you do.
 I'm just gonna run quickly through the agenda today.
 We're gonna talk about our regional goal
 to end veteran homelessness.
 You'll hear more about that.
 Some of our partners are gonna share information
 about some key resources that might be useful to you
 as you work with veterans at your properties.
 We are going to have an award ceremony.
 We are going to recognize two folks
 who have really been instrumental
 in helping house veterans over the years
 and appreciate the work that they are doing, particularly.
 And then we're gonna do something
 called community connections.
 We have some tables set aside with different topics.
 We're gonna ask people to choose a topic
 and learn more about that and share some information
 and really try to come up with some solutions
 to the issues that we're working on.
 So there's gonna be a kind of collaborative information
 sharing and problem solving exercise.
 And then we're gonna come back to wrap up.
 So without further ado, I would love to introduce
 my colleague at Heading Home, Tatiana Wheeler,
 who is instrumental in many things,
 but in particular, our initiative
 to end veteran homelessness, Tatiana.
 (audience applauding)
 Thank you, Mary, and thanks for being here today.
 I'm really excited to meet you
 and discuss more ways that we can partner together
 to end veteran homelessness.
 So without further ado, just to give you
 a little bit of context, through my work
 with Heading Home, I have the honor
 of facilitating a group of regional service providers
 who are working on this initiative.
 So while I'm up here speaking,
 this is really the group of people doing the work,
 helping veterans find stable housing
 and helping them find the resources
 to keep them stably housed as well.
 So can we get a round of applause
 for the individuals here, and they're in the room today
 with us for their work they do.
 (audience applauds)
 At Heading Home, we believe that communities
 are stronger together, so we're really excited
 to share a little bit more about this initiative.
 So in 2022, Heading Home joined a national organization
 called Built for Zero.
 Has anyone heard of Built for Zero before?
 Maybe some of you have come to our events.
 So Built for Zero is a national organization
 that is partnering with communities
 to equitably end homelessness one population at a time,
 and Built for Zero consultants,
 or we call them our data coaches,
 encourage communities to focus
 on one population at a time,
 and many communities choose veterans
 because of the resources available to them,
 but also because veterans serve our country,
 and they deserve a safe, stable place to live.
 So in 2022, we declared that we were gonna start
 looking at our veteran population
 and figuring out ways we can reduce
 their barriers to housing.
 In 2023, we began something called veteran case conferencing,
 which is a biweekly meeting of homeless service providers
 and VA and veteran service providers,
 and we're looking at the veterans
 who are currently experiencing homelessness in our region
 and identifying ways we can reduce their barriers to housing.
 So we've been doing that since 2023,
 so a little over two and a half years.
 In 2024, we started streamlining our referral processes,
 making sure that we were matching up veterans
 to the best housing solutions that would meet their needs
 and would set them up for success.
 And the end of 2024 and into this year,
 we've really been looking at ways
 that we can improve our system, right?
 Because while we are trying to actively make sure
 that every veteran who's currently experiencing homelessness
 has a safe place to sleep permanently,
 we also wanna make sure that we're looking
 at our greater system at large
 to make veteran homelessness rare, brief, and non-repeating.
 So this is just a sample
 of some of our system improvement work,
 that photo you saw earlier,
 or the individuals who are doing this system improvement work.
 We've been looking at things like our diversion
 and prevention practices, so how can we make sure
 that before a veteran's actually experiencing homelessness
 that we can intervene to address that crisis
 from ever even happening?
 We're looking at our staffing needs,
 making sure that all of our veterans
 who are experiencing homelessness
 or at risk of homelessness are being connected to staff,
 being connected to resources.
 Additionally, we are researching peer support communities
 and opportunities, so this is to address
 what one author coined as relational poverty.
 Who in the room has a support system?
 You have at least one person, multiple people in your life
 who if you have a need, you can talk to them about it,
 they can help you problem solve,
 they can even help alleviate that need.
 Well, for people experiencing homelessness at large,
 their support systems aren't as vast
 or even present at all, so we really are looking
 to connect veterans who are stably housed
 to veterans who have recently been housed
 to build that support system to address relational poverty.
 HeadingHome runs a monthly data dashboard
 at headinghomeindiana.org, so you can look at our trends
 for our work to making homelessness
 rare, brief, and non-repeating,
 and you can specifically filter it
 to look at our veteran population.
 We've also been prioritizing integrating voices
 of lived experience, because it's really important
 that we are listening to the voices of people
 experiencing homelessness themselves
 to make sure that the system is best serving them
 and their needs.
 Lastly, we recently created an online resource page
 that I'll share in a second, and like today,
 we're building relationships with new partners,
 whether that are elected, or a business community,
 landlords like yourselves.
 Really, it takes a whole community working together
 to equitably end homelessness, one population at a time.
 So if you have a smartphone, you can scan this QR code.
 We run a online resource called the Heading Home Guide
 that has a comprehensive list of resources
 in this region of six counties,
 including things related to housing, low-income housing,
 food, pantries, transportation.
 And now we have a veteran page,
 as well as other resources as well.
 So we just created this veteran page
 'cause we realized there wasn't really a streamlined way
 for veterans in our region
 to access all of their resources in one place.
 So if you scan this QR code and you may see a resources
 that you think is vital that may be missing,
 please let us know and we're happy to update it.
 We wanna make sure that it's most relevant
 for the veterans who are in need of these services.
 And we had a committee that helped us put this together.
 We wanna celebrate that since beginning this initiative
 in 2023, that over 50 veterans
 have moved into stable housing.
 Can we celebrate that this afternoon?
 (audience applauding)
 That's awesome.
 That's thanks to you in this room
 who are landlord partners and landlord champions,
 property owners, as well as our service providers
 who are working directly with these veterans
 and getting them case management.
 So like I mentioned earlier, we have an initiative
 to end veteran homelessness.
 But really, what does that mean?
 Does that mean that a veteran
 will never experience homelessness ever again?
 Not exactly.
 So you see there is a chart that we have a number here
 of veterans experiencing homelessness.
 It's currently 17.
 We want that number to be less than our capacity
 to house veterans, right?
 So say if we had 17 veterans experiencing homelessness,
 our capacity needs to be higher than that,
 meaning that we have available units
 that fit the criteria that these veterans need
 and that we're able to house them quickly,
 that their episode of homelessness is what we call brief.
 Does that make sense?
 We have a goal to do this.
 By August 31st of this year,
 we've been making some strides,
 but we need help to get there.
 We'll be talking about ways
 that you can continue to partner with us in meaningful ways.
 We are 88 days away as of today.
 But we really believe
 that the proof is in the pudding essentially.
 If we've been able to house 50 veterans
 over the past two years,
 that surely we'll be able to house the veterans
 who are currently experiencing homelessness
 and any new veterans who fall into homelessness.
 Because together, we believe that we will end
 veteran homelessness one veteran at a time.
 Can I get a hand clap for that if you believe that?
 That homelessness is solvable, thank you.
 So the work we've been able to do thus far
 is because of some key veteran partners
 that have been vital to this work.
 And I'll have some of my colleagues and partners
 come and present on these different topics in a moment,
 but they're all pieces of a greater puzzle, right?
 And if I had a bigger chart,
 you'd see the piece of landlords
 being a part of this puzzle as well,
 as general community members,
 as well as veterans who just care about veterans
 and want to support veterans as well.
 So HUD-VASH is a key vital partner.
 Outreach, this is street outreach,
 this is outreach that are going to individuals
 experiencing unsheltered homelessness,
 supportive services for veteran families,
 as well as our local veteran service officers.
 So without further ado,
 I'm gonna introduce Scott Siebert,
 the HUD clinical supervisor of HUD-VASH.
 So let's give him a hand clap.
 (audience applauding)
 My shirt matched the slide, that's pretty good.
 I didn't plan that.
 My name is Scott Siebert.
 I am the clinical supervisor
 for our HUD-VASH rural care team.
 So a little bit about HUD-VASH.
 HUD-VASH is a partnership between HUD housing
 and VA supportive housing, that's what VASH stands for.
 Where we partner with a local housing authority
 to issue a voucher to a chronically homeless veteran,
 and then we provide ongoing case management services
 to ensure not only that that veteran gets housed,
 but we support their mental health, their medical,
 their substance use issues,
 in order to ensure that they maintain that housing
 and get to stability within housing.
 So I've got an awesome team of social workers
 that work in the Bloomington area.
 So you might raise your hand if you've heard of John LaSella
 or Carrie Rannard, Nathan Floyd.
 There's one other, Linda Stewart.
 So we've got a lot of presence,
 Vash presence here in Bloomington.
 And we are so grateful for the work that you have done
 with us to ensure, like Spence said,
 over and over and over and over again,
 we can't house veterans if there aren't landlords
 willing to take that risk.
 And I guess my sell would be that our program
 is unlike any other program out there.
 And that as long as the veteran is enrolled in our program,
 we are providing case management.
 Even veterans that successfully graduate from our program
 still at minimum are contacted twice a year.
 But most of our veterans we see on average
 about once a month.
 But there's different phases within there.
 If they need more intensity,
 we're right there to support them.
 And so we many times act as a liaison
 between our veteran and the landlord
 to see what we can do to work together
 to make sure that they stay housed
 and get them the resources they need.
 So I could go on and on and on,
 but I know we're short on time.
 So are there any like quick questions
 that I can answer about VASH?
 Yeah.
 Do what?
 Yeah, so within the guidelines, yes,
 it basically comes down to the housing authority.
 So all of our units have to pass the HQS or the INSPIRE,
 depending on what part of the state you're in, inspections.
 So as long as the housing authority approves that,
 yeah, we absolutely can go that route.
 Good question.
 All right, well, I'm not going anywhere.
 So if more questions come up, you find me,
 but I wanna introduce my colleague, Jessie,
 and she's gonna come talk about the SSVF program.
 You can clap, yeah, there you go.
 (audience applauding)
 Thanks, Scott.
 My name is Jessie Schwartz,
 and I am a coordinated entry specialist
 with the VA in Indianapolis.
 And I specifically work with the balance of state,
 which is our region outside of Marion County.
 It includes about 34 counties in central Indiana.
 And as part of my role with coordinated entry,
 we're doing outreach with veterans.
 We're connecting them to our continuum of homeless services.
 And a key program that we have is SSVF,
 stands for Supportive Services for Veterans and Families.
 So this is a program, it's a nationwide program.
 It's a grant-funded program
 by the National VA Homeless Program Office.
 And it started in 2012.
 And there are two main branches to the SSVF program.
 There is the Homeless Prevention Branch,
 and then there is the Rapid Rehousing Branch,
 which is helping veterans
 who are actively homeless at this time.
 So some key elements to SSVF,
 there's going to be crisis resolution initially
 when they're engaging with veterans or as needed.
 For veterans who are homeless,
 there is housing navigation services
 to help them locate housing.
 In both programs,
 there's temporary financial assistance offered,
 and then of course, case management.
 So the primary partner down in this area
 is Volunteers of America.
 I'm not sure if we have anybody from VOA here.
 There they are.
 Thank you, Gigi and Dominique.
 You all might know them.
 So they cover the majority of the counties
 down in this area.
 We do have another agency, HVAF,
 that serves Morgan County.
 For any of you that are there,
 they both serve Morgan County.
 But they are fabulous partners.
 As a landlord, you may encounter SSVF.
 They may approach you
 when they're doing that housing navigation.
 Some things that they can offer tangibly
 with the financial assistance,
 they can provide support with the security deposit,
 sometimes some months rent.
 SSVF is also used,
 there's a lot of co-enrollments with HUD-VASH.
 So you may have both programs involved
 with the veteran at the same time.
 When there's a Section 8 subsidy involved,
 there's definitely limitations.
 They can't provide, SSVF can't provide
 that rental assistance at the same time as HUD-VASH.
 But they can definitely help out with other things
 such as some goods for the home,
 helping them just feel comfortable
 in the home environment when they move in
 if they don't have those household goods
 or furniture, things like that.
 And then of course, with the prevention services,
 they can, if someone is being evicted
 for they haven't been able to pay their rent,
 maybe they lost their job
 or they've had a medical emergency or whatnot,
 SSVF can support up to a certain amount
 with paying off those arrears.
 And so they'll contact the landlord
 and offer that as an option
 if that would prevent a future
 potential episode of homelessness.
 So again, like Scott, I could talk all day about SSVF.
 There's a lot of nuances to the program
 and a lot of great things that they do.
 Are there any quick questions that I can answer?
 But then I know also our VOA representatives
 can answer too.
 Anything right now?
 Awesome, thank you.
 So next I will have up Steve Miller.
 He is the Monroe County Veteran Service Officer.
 (audience applauds)
 All right, well thank you folks for all being here.
 I feel really humbled today
 with all these incredible folks in the room today.
 Folks I know and folks that I hopefully will get to know
 as this goes along.
 I wanna tell you a little bit about who I am.
 I'm Steve Miller.
 I'm the Monroe County Veteran Service Officer.
 My job is to help get veterans, families,
 and service members connected to VA, state,
 and local benefits and resources.
 So some of the benefits
 that we help get veterans connected to.
 The biggest one that we spend most time on
 is disability benefits.
 So that is paid to veterans who were injured
 or became ill while on duty.
 And the VA pays monthly payments for that.
 We also help with Pension,
 which is a program that helps low income, low net worth
 veterans with a wartime service
 can help with a monthly payment that is all dependent
 upon the cash values,
 dependent upon their income and resources.
 So that's another thing we do.
 We also help get folks connected to education benefits.
 Most veterans and many of their family members
 are eligible for VA or state education benefits.
 Some of the programs we have are,
 there's a program by the state of Indiana
 that's tuition and fee exemption,
 allows for children of service connected disabled veterans
 to go to school for free.
 We also are, as we talked, I said, benefits and resources.
 Some of the resources we help get folks connect to are you.
 Some of the folks in this room are the resources
 that I help get folks connected to.
 So that's a little bit about what we do in my office.
 Is there any real quick question that I can take
 before we move on to the awards?
 Nope, okay, in that case, I am going to
 switch to awards ceremony and I will be
 your master of ceremonies for that this afternoon.
 So thank you all for being here.
 I'm really excited to be giving out these awards.
 The first award is the Landlord Legacy Award.
 This recognizes a landlord with longstanding,
 sustained commitment to housing veterans over many years.
 This Landlord Legacy Award goes to Mark Webb.
 (audience applauds)
 Mark, if you're here, come on up, sir.
 I wanted to tell a little bit about Mark.
 For many years, Mark owned a small apartment building
 that housed veterans using HUD-VASH.
 He built an intentional community there
 with veterans supporting veterans.
 He developed relationships with the tenants
 that went far beyond the typical landlord-tenant transaction.
 He made thoughtful choices to honor them,
 like choosing a shade of military green
 when painting the building.
 When he decided to divest of the property
 as he neared retirement, he found a buyer,
 Elizabeth Rue, who was also mission-driven
 and who is continuing his legacy of service to veterans.
 Thank you so much, Mark.
 (audience applauds)
 Thank you very much.
 Thank you very much.
 Thank you.
 Thank you.
 Very welcome.
 All right.
 Our next award is the Golden Key Award.
 This award celebrates a landlord or property manager
 who helped veterans overcome significant barriers
 to secure long-term housing.
 Without further ado, Michelle Allen is the recipient
 of the Golden Key Award, if you would come up, Michelle.
 (audience applauds)
 A little bit about Michelle.
 Michelle is always willing to give folks a chance
 and go to bat with corporate to figure out ways
 to get veterans approved and housed.
 She has always been very understanding and caring
 and very responsive to any question or concern
 the service providers or clients might have.
 Thank you again, Michelle.
 (audience applauds)
 Thank you so much, yeah.
 All right.
 We'll go back one.
 Oh, all right, so next up we have Tatiana Wheeler.
 Thank you, Steve.
 And thank you so much, Mark Love and Michelle Allen.
 We couldn't do what we do without the two of you
 and so many others.
 So can we give a round of applause for them one more time?
 (audience applauds)
 So yes, we wanna say thank you again.
 Those 50 plus veterans who've been housed
 the past two years are because of you in this room.
 But we wanna ask you,
 now that you know a little bit more about our work
 than you may have before you walked into the room today,
 will you help us?
 Will you become a partner with us
 to end veteran homelessness?
 I mentioned earlier that currently today
 in our six county region that there are 17 veterans
 who are currently experiencing homelessness.
 Some of them are in emergency shelters in our region,
 others are unsheltered.
 Some of them are parents, some of them are siblings,
 they're someone's daughter, someone's son,
 and we need your help.
 So with that being said, I'm gonna introduce my colleague,
 Mary, to lead us into our next activity.
 All right, everyone.
 I get so inspired at events like this
 because sometimes we just get so caught up
 in the work that we're doing that we forget to pause
 and look at the bigger picture.
 And each of you individually are making such a difference
 in the lives of veterans and the others that you house.
 And I know that sometimes it's hard to see
 the impact you're having on any given day,
 but I just want you to know that your impact is great
 and that we see you.
 So we're gonna do some problem solving now.
 We have identified these six topics
 that we would love to have your input on
 and also offer an opportunity for you to learn more,
 a little bit deeper than in the information
 that was given during the presentations earlier.
 The six topics that you see here,
 there are corresponding tables
 and you have a sign on each table
 that corresponds with the topic.
 We will have facilitators at each table
 who will be taking notes and leading the discussion.
 Raise your hand if you're a facilitator.
 Yeah, all right.
 So facilitators will be moving to the tables
 with their topics.
 I'm just gonna very briefly talk about the topics
 and then we're gonna be at the tables
 for about 15 to 20 minutes
 and then we're gonna give you an opportunity
 to move to a different topic
 so we can kind of spread the work around a little bit.
 Veteran case conferencing, that table is over there.
 Ali, yeah.
 So this is gonna be a discussion about the work
 that we're doing specifically in this community
 to house veterans through a bi-weekly meeting
 of service providers who are talking specifically
 about the individuals and the needs and barriers
 that they're facing to get housing.
 Veteran resources is right here.
 We are gonna be talking a little bit more
 about resources that are available to veterans.
 Available housing units is one of these days.
 Ah, down there, all right.
 This is really gonna be exactly what it sounds like.
 What housing units do you have available
 for those 17 veterans that Tatiana mentioned?
 We are gonna be looking at things that may be coming up
 and maybe we'd love to leave today
 with some actual concrete ways to house the veterans
 that are on our list.
 Breaking down barriers, that table is here.
 I finally found one right in front of me.
 This table is gonna talk about what are some of the barriers
 that veterans experience
 and how we can address those barriers.
 Peer support, right here where Steve
 is gonna be facilitating.
 This table will be talking about potentially creating
 a peer network to support veterans
 and looking at some of the issues of relational poverty
 that Tatiana mentioned earlier.
 And finally, landlord support must be over here.
 And that is gonna be hearing from people who,
 from landlords and property managers,
 those of you who are landlords and property managers,
 how can our community support your work
 so that we can address some of the challenges
 that you face in a way that will allow our community
 to house veterans more quickly.
 So everybody clear on that?
 Facilitators, move to your tables.
 And everybody else, pick a topic and we'll get started.
 We are going to share now,
 Bright Spots came out in your small group.
 So I'm gonna be asking facilitators specifically
 to share just one Bright Spot that came out
 before we end today's program.
 Alrighty, Steve, I'm gonna start with you.
 So just one Bright Spot, you say?
 Okay, we had great discussion.
 And one of the things we learned in peer support
 is that in Indianapolis, there are already programs
 like this, so we had some contact, some names,
 so we can probably get some actual movement
 on that pretty easily, I would think.
 Yay, look at that solution, oriented table.
 All right, Mary, with landlord support.
 We had a lot of Bright Spots,
 but one very concrete Bright Spot,
 and I'm sorry that they left,
 but we had some Glick folks here earlier
 who do not now accept VASH in Bloomington,
 and they are gonna rethink that,
 and they have some openings at Country View.
 (audience applauding)
 All righty, passing it to Jessie with Veteran Resources.
 Yeah, we've had some good discussion
 about Veteran Resources, and explained how to connect
 veterans to the wealth of resources we have,
 and talked a little bit about advocating
 for expanding resources in our more rural areas.
 Yay, thank you, passing it to Allie
 with Veteran Case Conferencing.
 So we talked about veterans case conferencing,
 and I explained what we do,
 and then we started talking about veterans
 and treatment in Bloomington,
 and what Martinsville has, what Bloomington has,
 so we got to know a little bit more about Bloomington.
 Awesome, passing it to Scott,
 talking about available housing units.
 Oh, or Dominic, all right, Dominic.
 (audience laughing)
 Met a few good, cool landlords.
 A couple people are jealous, they want their plant.
 We're gonna help you get that plant.
 I think we have some available units
 that we can help the 17 folks with,
 just follow up conversations to have to come behind them,
 but yeah, between College Square, Scott, Adam,
 I think we'll be able to get it done.
 So what you're saying is that you think
 we're gonna end veteran homelessness?
 Yeah.
 All right, you heard it here from Dominic.
 We're making it happen.
 All right, Gigi and I,
 we're at the Breaking Down Barriers table,
 and I would say our biggest bright spot
 is that we're talking about eviction ceiling.
 For those who don't know,
 Indiana Legal Services hosts some eviction ceiling clinics,
 and a fraud roster, our Bloomington Township Trustee
 has recently been talking to our prosecutor about it,
 about how we can reduce some of the court costs
 that are insured through those eviction ceilings.
 So, Brian Griffin, who works at the city,
 has a previous history of working in eviction,
 so him, a fraud, and heading home
 are gonna have that conversation with our prosecutor
 to figure out how we can reduce that barrier.
 So, thanks for participating.
 We're really excited that you're here
 and that you have already identified so many ways
 that you can continue to be a part of the solution
 to ending veteran homelessness.
 Here's our contact, if you wanna stay involved.
 And up to date about the work that we're doing.
 If you are a landlord or property owner,
 please don't leave,
 'cause we also have a gift for you as well.
 So, if you could just raise your hand for us.
 We have a gift we'd like to give you,
 for you to head out.
 Just one, two, okay?
 We'll find you.
 Anywho, I'll find you, I'll hunt you down.
 Thanks for being here, goodbye.
 (audience laughs)