To date Delta 7 has picked up and sorted ~3000lbs of food donations and 1,000 lbs of clothing donations for distribution.
Hello, my name is Danielle O’Leary and I am a part of the AmeriCorps NCCC Delta 7 team here in Hampton, VA. Our team has been working with the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness through its partnership with HELP, Inc. to enhance the Peninsula Continuum of Care’s coordinated assessment and housing placement system to house veterans as quickly and efficiently as possible.
It is bittersweet to be wrapping up our fourth week (out of six) in Hampton. It feels like just yesterday we were sitting in orientation eager to begin this project. This past month has given our team the opportunity to engage with the community in a variety of ways that are new to us. Some of these experiences include local food drives, soup kitchens, emergency and transitional housing maintenance, and conducting phone interviews for the Department of Social Services.
Delta 7 has moved ~4,200 lbs of furniture donations to warehouse for people in need.
The Department of Social Services is where I have spent the majority of my time. Here I have been handling follow-up phone interviews and the mapping of hotels/motels in the area. The phone interviews consist of working through a list of veterans who speak with a caseworker and apply for HUD VASH vouchers. I help with assessing individuals experiencing homelessness based on their vulnerability using the VI-SPDAT. Through this process we are better able to identify the cases that are most critical and then assist the individuals with housing programs as quickly as possible. Through mapping, we are able to locate hotels that may have guests staying longer than 30 days. Due to the city ordinance, a guest can stay no longer than 30 days because a hotel is not considered a place for human habitation. We fax these hotels extension request forms so that a person can reside there longer in the event that more time is necessary to find permanent housing.
Working with HELP, Inc. and the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness has allowed me to gain critical skills and has challenged me to quickly learn about permanent housing focused solutions to homelessness. I’m hoping to become more involved in organizations such as VCEH once I complete my service for AmeriCorps.
