Capstone Project Part V: Action Plans

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National Coalition of Homeless Veterans

Margaret Johnson

Walden University

The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans (NCHV) is a non-profit organization registered under the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). Its primary objective is to mitigate homelessness in the country. The agency collaborates with the federal, state, and local authorities to carry out its mandates and ensure it has accomplished its mission. Certain principles guide it with a significant focus of providing practical and resources assistance to the homeless veterans, who represent roughly one-fourth of the entire population of eligible homeless individuals in the country. Inclusive in its mission are three significant core values, including enhancement of public policy, promotion of collaboration, and elevating the capacity of service providers (Rickards et al., 2010). First, it is aimed at enhancing various social policies concerning veterans' issues such as Public Laws 16 and 293 to ensure the individuals sufficiently are taken care of by the government. Second, in encouraging collaboration, the agency concentrates on enhancing coordination of the concerned national care providers, including the Congress and other agencies working under the executive to facilitate in the efforts of accomplishing its goals. Finally, by the capacity of service providers, NCHV means the sources from where the needed assistance for the veterans comes from of which are different forms of organizations and individuals in both the public and private sector. Hence, with the guidance of these priorities, the organization can work and fulfill the needs of its mission. Comment by DMW: Margaret, you need to state the mission fully, with out descriptions about the issue. Organize this section so the mission alone is clear. You broke it up making it difficult to find it. Comment by DMW: The mission is to end homelessness among veterans. You need to be specific about its mission. Comment by DMW: Are these values, or are these approaches to meet the mission? Comment by DMW: Review APA formatting on how to cite legislative documents. Comment by DMW: Unclear sentence.

Core Values

Correspondingly, the NCHV’s core values incorporate different categories of participants ranging from the highest authority in the government to the beneficiaries of its various programs who are the veterans. It is governed by a 17-member board of directors that are responsible for making essential decisions to ensure the plans developed are effectively implemented to serve the expected purpose. Moreover, it has a team of staff that works as subordinates of the directors. The staff is comprised of five individuals, including the CEO, Director of Training and Technical Assistance, Operations Manager, Program, and Communication Assistants. Hence, each individual in the leadership structure is mandated with specific tasks and has to ensure competence as the level of performance has a significant influence on the outcomes. The leadership's performance will determine the nature of the assessment's reports that are usually produced after a certain period, which could be after five years, depending on the apparent policies being used (Rickards et al., 2010). The agency’s success is usually gauged on the change in the number of homeless veterans after a certain period implying that a decrease reflects positivity while an increase shows failure. Comment by DMW: Margaret, the core values of this agency has something to do with honor, service, community collaboration. If you had to think on one word terms, to define the values, what would they be? Go back to the Hemmelgarn and Basso article. Where would this agency fall on the value curve? Comment by DMW: What does this have to do with the core values? Would these be stakeholders?

Mentally ill individuals comprise the largest percentage of homeless veterans depending on the NCHV's services as many have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and others have brain injuries acquired when they were servicemen. These people’s abnormal lives are results of the dangerous occurrences they encounter while in various military operations. They are unable to cater for their families' needs or afford specific necessities such as housing, food, and healthcare services. So, the NCHV’s core values, which defines its primary mission, have to ensure these individuals are offered as much assistance as possible of which is a way of rewarding them for their unlimited services to the nation (Rickards et al., 2010). The organization provides competency in contributing to the well-being of these people by implementing its mandate through several programs developed depending on their respective functions. The agency’s active programs include the following; Comment by DMW: Margaret, hold this for now. You need to define the stakeholders and what role they may play in the strategic plan.

1. Grant and Per Diem

The program specializes in providing housing, health, and employment services to homeless veterans. It ensures the beneficiaries are provided with shelters, jobs to generating income and access to medical care services to mitigate the vulnerability to life threats.

2. Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program

It is primarily aimed at helping homeless veterans in taking care of their families, including creating affordable ways to acquire necessities. The agency works with other concerned parties such as landlords, utility companies, and child-care centers to ensure the families are living normally.

3. HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program

It is a specific policy designed to make sure chronic homelessness is eradicated, and most beneficiaries are individuals with severe mental illnesses or brain injuries. The veterans are accommodated in recovery units where they are given professional care that has been catered for by the government through VA.

4. Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program

It is mostly focused on employing veterans who are recovering from minor mental illnesses. It facilitates that these persons can be taken care of their needs after coming out of government-sponsored institutions and initiatives.

5. US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)

It works within the executive branch, and the primary role is to create links with the concerned parties in eradicating homelessness of the veterans. It is aimed at advancing effective and efficient solutions to address the issues of homelessness of veterans.

In conclusion, with the coordination of the governments, private agencies, and concerned individuals, NCHV can fulfill its respective mandates sufficiently. Homelessness of veterans is gradually decreasing in the country, and the agency gets gratitude.

Margaret, it seems you carried over sections of the agency described organizational structure, which did not fully meet the assignment descriptors. As you revise this section, you want to be clear on the core values, mission, vision (which was unstated), and the stakeholders. You need to be very clear on how the stakeholder will impact the strategic plan from an advocacy, leadership and/or social change perspective. Various stakeholders can have varying roles. Some may dominant based on the specific issue you will address in the plan, while others will have a lesser role. Use your readings to help you frame the agency and its values. Organize the paper using subheadings aligned from the instructions for readability.

Reference

Rickards, L. D., McGraw, S. A., Araki, L., Casey, R. J., High, C. W., Hombs, M. E., & Raysor, R. S. (2010). Collaborative initiative to help end chronic homelessness: Introduction. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 37(2), 149-166.