Veterans Community Housing Council

Mission

The mission and purpose of the Veterans Community Housing Council (VCHC) is to empower and support Veterans in overcoming their housing challenges. From ending homelessness to eviction prevention, VCHC advocates for and assists Veterans and their families with navigating the housing system.

Description

Our membership consists of current and formerly homeless veterans and family members. We began as the Veterans Administration housing advisory group, answering the call to work with other homeless and formerly homeless Veterans and their families to improve housing services for Veterans and their families.

As a group, we realized our call was to do work beyond just being a voice. We needed to take action. We identified several service gaps within the providers of services for homeless and formerly homeless veterans in King County and we decided to fill those gaps. Today, we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on empowering and supporting veterans in overcoming their housing challenges. From ending homelessness to eviction prevention, the VCHC advocates for and assists Veterans and their families with navigating the housing system. The VCHC also offers peer support, spiritual advisor, and information and referral. It is our mission to be able to help fellow veterans receive targeted services.

We have been self-funded and our services had been limited by our financial capacity. The VCHC offers peer support, a spiritual advisor, moving assistance, food vouchers, and information and referral. With the financial backing of this grant, we intend to provide moving assistance, navigation services, referral, and peer support. It is our mission is to be able to provide dual zone bus passes, clothing vouchers, food stipend, moving assistance for disabled veterans, self-care, budgeting classes, and other targeted services as needed.

Veterans are better equipped to help fellow veterans than anyone who has never been through the ordeal of homelessness. We are the only organization made up of all veteran peers with a mission to help our brothers and sisters in arms. Mental health is one of the major challenges that our brothers and sisters have. We recognize the challenges of being able to self-advocate. Speaking to persons of authority such as landlords, building managers, utility personnel and even VA Case Managers, can be very intimidating therefore we are here to empower our fellow veterans or help be their voice. Trust, establishing rapport and maintaining kind and nurturing relationship are empirical to a healthy and healing mind and spirit.

Recognition

We would like to thank the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Community Housing and Outreach Services, for their partnership, which fostered our organization and helped us grow and flourish. We would also like to thank you for supporting our cause. As with every charitable organization, it takes many hands to make light work. We know that you have many choices of organizations with whom you can get involved and help in the community, and we are pleased you have chosen to consider us. Please contact us if you have any questions as you consider us as the organization that you #giveBig to. Thank you!