Three months after Volunteers of America Mid-States opened its Homeless Veterans Reintegration program locally, 48 veterans have passed through its doors, and nearly half of them have already found jobs and housing.
The program is a comprehensive one, tailored to the complicated nature of veteran homelessness, said Cliff Hightower, the program's local outreach coordinator and case manager, a former veteran himself.
"Whenever you talk about homeless veterans, it's not the stereotypical homeless person out in a tent or on the street," he said.
Nationwide, it is estimated that veterans account for 11 percent of the homeless adult population, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Through initiatives such as the national Zero: 2016, which aimed to end veteran homelessness by the end of last year by creating a system to place needy veterans in a home within 30 days, veteran homelessness has fallen 33 percent across the country since 2010.
In January 2015, Mayor Andy Berke took on the Zero: 2016 challenge, along with 75 other cities across the U.S. Chattanooga had housed 220 veterans by November, leaving some 39 veterans homeless, according to Times Free Press archives.
But the answer to the problem requires more than just a place to call home, Hightower said.
"It's not just about housing, it's about getting this veteran back on his or her feet and stable," he said. " Whenever you have a job, you have pride. You have the ability to give back and start reliving your life."
Whenever a client signs up for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration program, proof of service with an honorable discharge in the form of a DD214 document must be provided, Hightower said. Once that is in hand, assistance can be provided - things like bus passes to job interviews, gift cards for appropriate work attire or tools for the job such as a computer.
To find local veterans in need, Hightower is relying largely on word of mouth from the rest of the homeless population. The Community Kitchen downtown has practically become his second home as he attempts to spread the word, he added.
"There's definitely a need here in Chattanooga," Hightower said.
Located in the nonprofit Volunteers of America Mid-States office at 951 East Gate Loop, Suite 110 in the 5700 Building, the program serves veterans in need across Hamilton, Knox, Anderson, Marion, Bradley and surrounding counties.
For more information or to donate, visit voamid.org.