The North Dakota Legislature is considering bolstering funding to help military veterans facing homelessness. Key voices say more details need to be sorted out. The state Senate this week unanimously approved a bill that, under its original intent, directed gaming tax proceeds from support organizations, such as pull tabs at an American Legion, to programs and funds for veterans with specific needs. Stable housing is among them.

Christopher Deery, veterans service director leads veterans services for Cass County, said during recent testimony that offices like his want to get a roof over the head of all past servicemembers. But challenges still get in the way, such as pandemic relief drying up.

"We have a lot of veterans with a lot of needs. We're slowly running out of options here, and we just need a little bit of help so we can get that number to zero," he explained.

The bill has cleared both legislative chambers without opposition. But a primary sponsor says because of changes during the voting process, there's still discussion about final language - namely what the funding levels should look like. That suggests additional votes this session. There was chatter during debate about opening the floodgates for support groups for other causes.

Through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, Community Action Partnership of North Dakota says it handled an additional 70 cases last year. Of those seeking help, all were either on the brink of homelessness, or already without a home.

Max Pontenila, program specialist veteran and program specialist for the group's Minot office, said as they cobble together resources, they're balancing the need of building trust with clients.

"As veterans, and this is true even on a personal level, raising your hand saying, 'Hey, I need help,' that is a hard experience," he said.

Advocates suggest that hard experience could become more common if the resources aren't there. Nationally, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness declined last year. But there was a 7% increase the previous year, marking the first such spike in a while.

A new report on homelessness in Colorado released by the Common Sense Institute has come under fire for muddying the waters for lawmakers and other stakeholders working to get people off the streets and back on their feet.

The report claimed an Intervention First model, where people only get housing if they agree to addiction treatment and workforce training, is more effective than the Housing First with Supportive Services approach, which it said has failed to decrease homelessness.

Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said the report does not even mention rising housing costs.

"When we see housing costs go up, when we see rents increase, we see homelessness increase," Alderman pointed out. "When we don't see more affordable housing being made available to low-income households, we see homelessness increase."

Between 2019 and 2023, Denver's already high rents rose by nearly 30%. Last year, there was a gap of more than 134,000 affordable housing units across the state for workers earning 30% of the median income or less. The Institute defended its report and said by email the public deserves to know whether their tax dollars are helping reduce homelessness, not just reshuffling where people sleep.

According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, Housing First reduces homelessness by 88% and improves housing stability by 41% compared with Intervention First programs, which Alderman called a one-size-fits-all approach.

"It said you must participate with those specific services in order to be eligible for housing," Alderman noted. "There are lots of people experiencing homelessness that don't need substance-use treatment, that don't need behavioral health. They need housing."

Housing First programs provide rapid access to housing and care teams connect people to employment opportunities, medical and mental health care and substance use treatment but the services are not required or used as a punitive tool.

Alderman stressed the model works but current investments do not meet the scale of the problem.

"If we had the housing resources and we were providing more housing with supportive services to larger populations of people experiencing homelessness, we would absolutely see a reduction in homelessness," Alderman asserted. "But we've never had the political will to do that."

Keeping more renters in their homes is one goal of a new Utah initiative.

The Utah Housing Coalition has formed a Landlord and Community Partners Coalition to cultivate better relationships and more equitable solutions for issues between landlords and tenants.

A report by the Utah Housing Coalition found a 23% failure rate in Utah's Housing Choice voucher program, which Project Manager Zoe Newmann said underscores the need for action. Multiple bills to help renters have failed in the Utah Legislature and there is uncertainty about how federal funding for housing assistance will fare in the Trump administration's spending cuts.

Newmann pointed out they are aiming to fill gaps where they can.

"We hope that by developing this system, connecting people to services that already exist in their communities, that we can start working towards a place where potentially we have our own lease that people can kind of hop onto," Newmann explained. "Because, as we all know in Utah, the lease is law."

Newmann stressed they see the need for what she calls "more holistic leases." Creating them is a longer-term goal for the coalition, which was launched last week. About 40 partners have joined so far. Learn more online at UtahHousing.org.

Data show housing affordability and availability are top issues for Utahns. Newmann is hopeful the new coalition will be able to bring stakeholders to the table, leading to improved communication, trust building and addressing what she describes as "systemic housing barriers."

"Our case managers are swamped," Newmann observed. "They have 20+ people that they're trying to manage. So, once they get someone placed in housing, just with funding and the need for these services, and then you're on to the next person. So, that continuous case management, we don't necessarily have support systems' help with that."

The Utah Housing Coalition will measure the initiative's success by monitoring increased collaboration between landlords, tenants and community-based organizations. They will also look at whether the effort improves housing stability, and can streamline pathways to mediation and other services.


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This spring marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War ending. In North Dakota, veterans from the war, along with others who have served, are in line for extra state support if they have issues with housing stability.

During this legislative session, the state approved $1 million over the next two years, with half of it going to the Post War Trust Fund, which helps veterans cover expenses like dental care. The other half will help fund existing efforts that focus on finding stable housing for military veterans struggling to keep a roof over their head.

Rick Olek, a Vietnam combat veteran from Fargo, was a big voice in getting the funds across the finish line.

"It's very rewarding that we accomplish something here but part of the reward is just making our community and our Legislature aware that it's an ongoing problem," Olek explained.

Nationally, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness declined last year but there was a 7% increase the previous year, marking the first such spike in a while. Support organizations said like many other populations, veterans are feeling the squeeze of rising rents.

Olek said the action is meaningful to those who served in Vietnam, with historians often noting the general lack of public support they received when first returning home.

"Vietnam vets have had to fight and basically really get activated to get these benefits or whatever else that they've been able to get," Olek pointed out.

Another component of the initiative allows veteran charitable groups, such as local VFWs, to donate gaming proceeds for these services. A key partner organization, Community Action Partnership of North Dakota, said the resources will help make veteran homelessness in North Dakota rare, brief and nonrecurring.