Problems in Local Government: Ending Veteran Homelessness in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Once widely known as the Oil Capital of the World, Tulsa is still a cosmopolitan city that is famous for its historic art deco that eschews the cow town image that characterizes many cities in Oklahoma, including most especially its capital, Oklahoma City. With a population of just over 400,000 people, Tulsa also has a sizeable veteran population, but far too many of these national heroes become homeless and stay that way after their discharge from the U.S. armed forces. Although precise figures are unavailable, what is known for certain at present is that many homeless veterans also suffer from various substance abuse and mental health disorders that complicates their treatment by the VA and the social services that are tasked with helping them (Smelson et al., 2022). Against this backdrop, it is clear that identifying opportunities to reduce the prevalence of homelessness among the veteran population in Tulsa represents an important and timely enterprise. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to provide a clear definition of this problem, including its full scope and likely antecedents as well as a description of the relevant stakeholders and actors who are involved. In addition, the paper identifies and provides an analysis of potential alternatives to current interventional strategies for homeless veterans. Finally, a description of several evidence-based recommendations for addressing this problem and the rationale in their support to assist veterans in general and those living in Tulsa in particular concludes the paper.

Definition of the Problem

According to the official definition provided by the U.S. government, homelessness occurs when people lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and if they sleep in a shelter designated for temporary living accommodations or in places not designated for human habitation (The law and homelessness, 2022, para. 2). In reality, though, this definition fails to take into account many people who are either already homeless or who could easily become homeless. An expanded definition of homelessness should also consider families that double up in a single residence, individuals who are temporarily residing with family members or friends as well as those whose current housing situation would become untenable if they missed a paycheck or two (The law and homelessness, 2022).

At present, the primary causes of homelessness in the United States are, in descending order, (1) an overall lack of affordable housing, (2) unemployment, (3) poverty, and (4) low wages (Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes, 2019). Here again, while precise figures are unavailable, it is estimated that between 2.5 and 3.5 million Americans are homeless at any given point in time, and this estimate may be especially law given the adverse effects of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the housing crisis that emerged in recent years. Moreover, the nations veteran population has not been immune to homelessness, and recent estimates suggest that approximately 11.3% of homeless adults in the United States are veterans, making their representation among the homeless population twice that of the general population

(Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes, 2019).

While veterans are eligible for the same social services that are provided the general public through community-based resources, they are also eligible for social and financial services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the nations largest healthcare provider. For instance, the VA emphasizes that it is committed to ending veteran homelessness using a three-fold strategy as follow:

1. Conducting coordinated outreach to proactively seek out veterans in need of assistance;

2. Connecting homeless and at-risk veterans with housing solutions, health care, community employment services and other required supports; and,

3. Collaborating with federal, state and local agencies; employers; housing providers, faith-based and community nonprofits; and others to expand employment and affordable housing options for Veterans exiting homelessness (VA homeless programs, 2022, para. 4).

Although the VA has a longstanding commitment to end homelessness among the nations veteran population (Smelson et al., 2022), the fact that homeless veterans continue to haunt the nations streets in general and those of Tulsa in particular indicates that this population is at particularly high risk of becoming homeless. While the veterans themselves are the primary stakeholders involved in this problem, homeless veterans also affect numerous others, including those discussed further below.

Identification of Relevant Stakeholders and Actors

The hundreds of homeless veterans who wander the streets of Tulsa each day in search of something to eat, a cool place to rest in the summer and a warm place to rest in the winter and a safe place to sleep each night are the primary stakeholders and actors in this calculus. Identifying the exact number of homeless veterans in Tulsa is not possible since individuals come and go from the community, and even the most rigorous census surveys fail to find every person. Nevertheless, the VA makes a good effort in counting the number of homeless veterans in Tulsa every 10 years pursuant to the mandates of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which determines how much federal funding should be allocated to assist this vulnerable population. For instance, veterans are counted at homeless shelters in Tulsa, but a series of outreach teams also mobilizes to search out every possible veteran within the citys borders for the HUD mandate, including wooded areas, under bridges, levies and even gas stations where the homeless are known to congregate.

In addition, during this outreach census program, staff from the VA not only count veterans, they provide them with sleeping bags, food and socks which are among the most-requested items at the nations homeless shelters (Schaeffer, 2020). In other words, the VA remains committed to helping homeless veterans in Tulsa, and identifying how many veterans are homeless and their primary needs represents an important part of the process. In fact, the VAs outreach programs is active year-round so teams know the areas where homeless veterans tend to stay intimately, meaning that the findings of these surveys are as accurate as they can be under the circumstances.

The results of the most recent such census in January 2019 showed that there were about 1,200 homeless people in Tulsa, representing an...

Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) Program

EUL is a VA portfolio management tool that allows certain land and buildings to be leased to eligible private entities for approved supportive housing and related projects for homeless and at-risk veterans. In addition to supportive housing, VAs EUL partners often provide veterans with job training, financial management, haircuts, computer and laundry facilities, fitness centers and other services. Veterans and their families are prioritized for EUL developments, which are also convenient to VA health care facilities.

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)

For very low-income veterans, SSVF provides case management and supportive services to prevent the imminent loss of a Veterans home or identify a new, more suitable housing situation for the individual and his or her family; or to rapidly re-house Veterans and their families who are homeless and might remain homeless without this assistance.

Source: Adapted from VA Homeless Programs, 2022

Finally, the VA also sponsors an evidence-based program for helping homeless veterans with substance abuse problems. The program, Maintaining Independence and Sobriety through Systems Integration, Outreach and Networking-Veterans Edition (MISSION-Vet) is described by Smelson and his associates as an evidence-based multicomponent wraparound treatment engagement approach for homeless veterans with a co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder (p. 3). Because a substantial number of homeless veterans suffer from mental health and substance use disorders, the MISSION-Vet initiative has been even more effective than its developers anticipated and it has been replicated in a wide array of venues since its inception in 1999 (Smelson et al., 2022). These promising, positive outcomes make it clear that it is possible to reduce homelessness among veterans, including those suffering from disorders that typically hamper efforts to help them overcome their current plight and rejoin American society as contributing members. Based on the foregoing initiatives and their respective impact on homeless veterans, the following recommendations together with supporting rationale are provided below.

Recommendations and Rationale

Given the tens of billions of dollars that have been invested in ending homeless in the United States over the years, some observers might suggest that it would be more cost-effective to simply purchasing permanent housing for every person in the country that needs it and provide them with a guaranteed income to help keep them in it. This simple solution, though, would likely not receive the requisite support from American taxpayers and legislators who want to avoid even the appearance of providing the homeless with a handout instead of a hand-up (Guy & Ely, 2018). Therefore, it is recommended that the VA combine the Veterans Community Project and its tiny home villages with the Enhanced-Use Lease (EUL) Program so that new villages can be constructed on land already owned by the VA or federal government agencies. This strategy would eliminate or at least highly reduce any not in my backyard objections by local property owners, and would provide sufficient transition housing for any homeless veteran in need. In addition, it is also recommended that the VA continue and expand its use of the HUD-VASH program until its national objective of completely eliminating homelessness among the nations…