SC Home Front Will Honor Homeless Veterans

COLUMBIA, SC – United Way of the Midlands (UWM), The Dorn VA Medical Center (VA), Transitions, and the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH) will collaborate to honor homeless Veterans on May 21, 2014. The event, SC Home Front, will take place on site at Transitions (2025 Main Street, Columbia, S.C. 29201) from 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. City of Columbia Firefighters will kick off the day and with a grilled lunch and after the meal, partnering service providers will link homeless Veterans with resources for same day service provision and housing opportunities.

“We recognized a need in the community and we developed an innovative, cooperative solution to fill the gap,” said Mac Bennett, President and CEO of the United Way of the Midlands. “As Memorial Day approaches, it is our duty to help those in need, especially our men and women who served in the armed forces.”

SC Home Front, a new Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN-7 Southeast Network initiative will focus on increased outreach and engagement to end Veteran homelessness. The kickoff event at Transitions will place outreach workers, case workers, housing specialists, medical liaisons, and homeless Veterans all in the same place at the same time. The strategy will provide increased opportunities for a subsection of the homeless population that is often difficult to engage by taking the services to a familiar locations and safe locations.

“Through forging unique partnerships, community agencies will be able to change the lives of homeless Veterans in Columbia,” said Lila Anna Sauls, MACH Board Chair said. “This event is about compassion and service for those who have served us.”

The VA and its partners realize the importance of the national initiative to end Veteran homelessness by 2015. VA service programs will provide representation to assist event participants obtain VA benefits, access healthcare, find employment, and most importantly, secure housing.

“The Dorn VA is mobilizing the workforce and taking its services and housing options to the veterans in need, instead of the other way around,” said Patricia Bradford, VISN-7 Southeast Network Homeless Coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The event is free and open to anyone who has served in the armed forces. If a Veteran experiencing homelessness cannot attend but is still in need of assistance, please call the Veteran Affairs National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-424-3838.

For more information on the event, please visit the United Way of the Midlands’ website at www.uway.org.

About United Way of the Midlands

United Way of the Midlands is the most organized, efficient, and accountable system for investing in the community. With more than 80 certified partner agencies, United Way works to identify and respond to the critical human service needs of Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg and Richland counties. Funds are raised through workplace campaigns, grant writing and individual donations. For more information, please visit www.uway.org.

About The Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless

Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH) is dedicated to ending homelessness by promoting collaboration and planning among providers, state and local governments, corporate and non-profit organizations, and faith-based organizations.  MACH partners support individuals and families in their quest to move from homelessness to permanent, stable housing. MACH is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a federal Continuum of Care.

About Transitions 


The Midlands Housing Alliance worked tirelessly to introduce a new housing concept to Columbia, and in 2011, Transitions has helped individuals living on the street and enroll them in services designed to stabilize their lives, increase their income, and help them secure permanent housing. Since opening, Transitions has moved 582 people into permanent housing and aided 1545 more people obtain a more positive living situation.

About the Dorn VA Medical Center

The Wm. Jennings Bryan (WJB) Dorn VA Medical Center is a 204-authorized bed facility which provides a wide variety of patient centered health care. One of the special programs provided is the Health Care for Homeless Veterans which is designed to provide the services needed to end homelessness for Veterans by the end of 2015.  Those services include outreach, health care, transitional housing, permanent housing, comprehensive dental for Veterans in transitional housing, job placement and coaching as well as referrals for Supportive Services for Veteran Families.  WJB Dorn’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans has 151 transitional beds in Columbia, Lexington and Greenwood. In partnership with HUD, Columbia and Greenville Housing Authority, they provide 390 permanent housing choice vouchers located in Columbia and Greenville for vulnerable Veteran Families that require intensive case management services.