Project Summary
The VetConnect pilot is a collaboration between USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the Greater Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Department of Mental Health’s Veteran Peer Access Network (VPAN). VetConnect is part of the 2024 and 2025 Demographic Survey portions of the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, organized by the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Agency (LAHSA). In 2024, the Demographic Survey took place between December 7, 2023, and March 13, 2024. In 2025, it will run from December 5, 2024, until March 14, 2025.
The goals of VetConnect pilot are threefold: (1) to determine whether USC surveyor teams could successfully connect participants with services through a proactive, responsive partnership with the VA and their community partners; and (2) to investigate whether self-reported Veteran’s status is a reliable indicator of the prevalence of homelessness among Veterans in LA County. And ultimately, (3) to connect unhoused Veterans in LAC with services, primarily housing and health care, including substance and mental health services.
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Publications
- VetConnect helps unhoused veterans receive services they need during annual homeless count.
- Decline in Veterans’ Homelessness Spurs Hopes for a Broader Solution.
Methodology/Overview
In 2024 VetConnect had three distinct outreach approaches (1) On Call, (2) Blitz Days, and (3) Hotline Outreach. A description of each approach is provided in the Appendix. Given the size of LAC, we were not able to implement all 3 approaches evenly across the county. Instead, we targeted different approaches in different areas of the county known as Service Planning Areas (SPAs). On Call Outreach was conducted during Demographic Survey Days and focused primarily on Service Planning Areas (SPAs) 4 and 5. Blitz Day Outreach took place during Demographic Survey Blitz Days, targeting Spas 4, 5, and 8. Hotline Outreach operated throughout the entire Demographic Survey period and covered all Spas except 4 and 5. Of the three Outreach approaches Blitz Days were by far the most successful, resulting in 29 of the pilot’s 34 referrals, and some of the most impactful outcomes of the pilot.