VSS Objectives:
The key to success is to provide a needed service to Veterans, while providing a flexible means of compensation. We will coach, mentor and provide resources of different venues for successful career planning and VA entitlement options to help Veterans meet today’s economic and housing challenges.
Primary Service Objectives Include:
To establish and grow a “Go to Center” for Veterans who are in need of assistance, job opportunities, education, housing, and other “Transition Services”. This was accomplished initially through the creation of a "Veteran Support Center" or VSC, that was set-up in parallel with Ms. Donaldson's Suri-Ridge Coffee Shop originally in 2013, and later in 2015 in Colorado Springs. This location helped to create a meetup spot for Veterans to meet with other Veterans and to identify various support sources and be connected to local resources. The Coffee Shop was closed in late 2016 for commerical reasons, and will be re-started as a mobile Tiny House Coffee Shop in 2020 that will allow us to move our "VSC" to many locations in the Front-Range region of Colorado Springs where the need is great.
VSS focuses on the problems of Veteran Homelessness in El Paso County through three primary Support and Service platforms:
1. VSS|Track
This is our primary sustainment services program where we provide emergency housing, (hotel stays) as well as food and medical support to homeless Veterans and their Families. We also provide case management support services for all Veterans and their families that we service under VSS, and we offer case management support to other local Aid Agencies when needed. We also manage donations and pro-bono contributions of Gas and Credit Cards, and Personal Items that are specifically focused on addressing these needs of Veterans and their families:
- Yellow Cab and Mountain Metro Bus vouchers/passes (Single Fare or 21 Day Passes)
Used to assist Veterans in getting to clinic for appointments, group therapy, etc.
- $20 Gas Cards (Shell, King Soopers, Loaf-N-Jug, etc.).
Used to assist Veterans in getting gas to make appointments, job interviews, etc.
- $10 Gift Cards (Wal-Mart, Safeway, King Soopers, etc.).
Used for Homeless Veteran’s Program to support vital Veteran needs.
- House cleaning kits (mop, bucket, broom, toilet brush, cleaners, sponges, paper towels).
Used for Veterans in transition to permanent residence.
- Recreational passes (bowling, movies, zoo, and museums).
Used to support Substance Abuse Transition Program recreational trips.
- Toiletry items (toliet paper, body wash/shampoo, lip balm, shaving cream, toothbrush/paste/floss)
Used for Veterans in transition to permanent residence or for Homeless Veterans.
- Restaurant Gift Cards ($10-$25)
Used to support Substance Abuse Transition Program rewards program for successful program completion and for Homeless Veterans.
- Sports Equipment (Balls, Hacky-sacks, horseshoes, etc.)
Used to support Substance Abuse Transition Program recreational trips.
- Small children’s toys, coloring books, crayons, craft kits, etc.
Used to support children of Veterans in transition to permanent residence and children of Homeless Veterans.
Over the years we have seen the VSS|Track program grow and develop into a vital "grassroots" solution locally for Veterans and their families who need immediate help, and don't have the luxury of time to jump through a lot of evaualtion and paperwork processing... That's why we're focusing on developing an "Annual VSS|Track Sponsorship" Program with a benefactor or patron who can help VSS annually underwrite our costs in this vital services delivery area. We would like to establish an annual budget of between $50,000 to $100,000 yearly for these services. If your inerested in a sponsorship of this program contact us HERE
For More information about the complete VSS|Track Services Program click HERE
2. AxisPoint
Operating primarilly as an online data sharing platform, we developed the AxisPoint System to address emergency and transitional Veteran Lodging Needs, and it has evolved into a multi-purposed Veteran Information Intake system to help us manage our Veteran contacts and follow-up services. We located the AxisPoint solution on a community oriented website (www.connectcore.org) so that it could be accessed in the future by other Veteran Support and Aid Agencies through a secure login feature that allows for access to our shared database of lodging properties and interconnecting them to Veterans and their families. It's the goal AxisPoint Lodging Program to become a one-stop solution for creating a realtime and online inventory of available hotels and motel rooms in the community that can be reserved on a moments notice at reduced price points for emergency and short term Veteran stays.
Future Development: This system will also be updated in the future to create a "Family Direct Donation" Platform that will allow extended family members of a Veteran and their family to be able to contribute funds online throught the system to a Veteran that would be credited to a specialized VSS|Track Debit card that can be use to help offset housing, medical and family living costs. This provides a way for Veterans and their families to stay in contact, (as the system provides for messaging services between the veteran and their family members) and allows for "optional methods" for estranged family relationships to still have the potential to be repaired in the future.
For More information on AxisPoint click HERE
3. VSS|Villages
This is our long term concept for the development and support of Long Term Sustainable Housing Solutions, based on the Tiny Home CLUSTER Community Concept developed by Ensemble Ventures. The Tiny Home CLUSTER Communities concept that VSS and Ensemble has been exploring with DIY (Do it Yourself) Tiny House Builders, Commercial Tiny Home Builders, Local Housing Community Organizations, Existing Manufactured Housing Developers, Aid Agencies, City Planners, and Municipal Government officials over the course of the last 4 years… is really just the basic idea of creating a cluster of Tiny houses on Wheels or on Platforms in a compact and innovative “Pocket Neighborhood”. It’s designed to “look-like” and fit into a local community with just 10-20 tiny homes in each development or “VSS Village”
For More information on VSS|Villages click HERE
Ongoing Service Goals Includes:
1. To work with local aid agencies in El Paso County, (Like the RMHS – Rocky Mountain Human Services, Homefront Cares, Carmel and other Veteran Support providers.
2. To set-up and fund our Social Benefit Programs through Public Donations, PRI Grants from Non-Profit Agencies, and Fund Raising Events and Activities
3. To increase the number of Veterans served by 20% per year through superior performance & word-of-mouth referrals.
Check out our Facebook Page for Current Updates !