Lovell FHCC a leader in helping homeless veterans

NORTH CHICAGO – As part of Veterans Affairs’ nationwide goal to house 38,000 homeless veterans in 2022, the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, with the help of community partners, has provided 117 permanent housing placements to homeless veterans.

“This goal was achieved through the hard work and dedication of our Lovell FHCC homeless programs staff, our grantees and contractors and our valued community partners,” said Dr. Robert Buckley, Lovell FHCC director. “The progress we’re seeing with ending veteran homelessness in northeast Illinois, our area of responsibility, shows that we have the right solutions to end homelessness for all veterans we care for.”

These placements, along with placements provided by other VA health care systems across the U.S., led to VA housing 40,401 veterans nationwide, meeting and exceeding its national goal by more than 6.3%.

Nationally, the number of veterans who experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2022 was 33,129 – a decrease of 11% from January 2020, the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. The estimated number of veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 55.3% since 2010.

Along with 13 other communities, Lovell FHCC and Lake County were honored in 2019 for reaching “Functional Zero” for veteran homelessness under the national Built for Zero campaign.

“Lovell FHCC’s homeless programs continue to partner with the Lake County Coalition for the Homeless to sustain this goal in addition to efforts being made in McHenry County to reach the same milestone,” Buckley said.

The efforts are built on the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes getting a veteran into housing and then providing the veteran with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including health care, job training and legal and education assistance.

A key component of Lovell FHCC’s outreach to homeless veterans and veterans at risk of becoming homeless is the facility’s Walk-in Center for Homeless Veterans, manned by dedicated social workers trained to quickly help veterans, including arranging for temporary housing if needed. After hours, social workers are on call to respond. The Walk-in Center for Homeless Veterans can be reached by calling 224-610-1148. It is located in Room 170 in Building 131 on Lovell FHCC’s main hospital campus in North Chicago.

For information about Lovell FHCC’s work to end veteran homelessness, contact Jayna Legg at 224-610-3132 or Jayna.legg@va.gov.

If you are a veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838. Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for veterans exiting homelessness.