Agency’s goal: Homes for all military vets

TOLEDO, Ohio — More than a decade of bad decisions, toxic relationships and sleeping inside garages and vacant apartments had left Army veteran Michael Robertson with thoughts of ending his life.

It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder that he began seeing a way out. But with no way to afford upfront costs for an apartment, he was stuck in a shelter for the homeless three years ago in Houston, where he settled after drifting around the country.

That’s when a nonprofit organization called Veterans Matter stepped in — one of several groups that fill gaps government agencies can’t reach even as they push to end homelessness among veterans.

The departments of Housing and Urban Development and of Veterans Affairs said in November that since the beginning of this decade, the number of homeless veterans has dropped by about half, to 38,000.

Robertson, who served in the Gulf War, is among the many no longer on the streets. “I couldn’t imagine any of that or being stable just a few years ago,” he said.

The number has dropped under a strategy that brought the two federal departments together to offer homeless veterans assistance with monthly rent, as well as case management and clinical services.

Veterans Matter pays for security deposits and a share of the first month’s rent. It says it has helped 2,600 veterans in 20 states get off the streets. Nine of every 10 remain housed after the first year, the organization said.

“Veterans Matter is one of few with a national scope that will go where the need is,” said Anthony Love, director of community engagement for the Veterans Health Administration’s office for homeless programs. “They can get a check to a landlord pretty much the same day or within 24 hours.”

Ken Leslie, a former comedian and businessman who was once homeless, founded Veterans Matter in 2012.

“If it was just about getting them housed, I wouldn’t be doing it,” he said. “We’re targeting veterans who have nowhere to go.”