Are you a Veteran experiencing or at risk of homelessness?
Call the hotline in your area:
- 1-855-862-1804 (Solano County)
- 1-888-479-1926 (Alameda County)
- 1-925-957-6042 (Contra Costa County)
- 1-833-255-4899 (Sacramento, San Joaquin & Amador Counties)
ROADS HOME
Roads Home is a program of Berkeley Food & Housing Project that works to help end homelessness among veterans and their families.
In 2010 the VA launched a comprehensive, national initiative to address veteran homelessness: the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.
In the same year, BFHP opened a transitional housing program for homeless male veterans in downtown Berkeley. Four years later, the agency was selected as an SSVF grantee, which led to Roads Home, a wraparound program that provides an array of services to veterans and their families experiencing housing insecurity across a six county region.
Roads Home has been recognized by the VA for offering a highly effective regional approach to ending veteran homelessness.
The Challenges:
- Veterans are far more likely to fall into homelessness than any other population.
- California has a disproportionately high percentage of homeless veterans.
- Veterans can have unique barriers to housing stemming from trauma related to their military service.
Services Offered
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
Funded by the VA, SSVF provides a robust set of homelessness prevention and housing tools for Veterans and their families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including: housing location help, temporary financial assistance, and wraparound case management. The resources are flexible, meaning they can be tailored to the needs of the individual Veteran household.
Outreach
Our veteran outreach teams visit encampments, underpasses, and abandoned buildings to make contact with homeless veterans and link them to services.
Permanent Supportive Housing
BFHP operates a 6-bedroom, 3-bath house in Rio Vista, in East Solano County, that provides a permanent home with support services for local Veterans. Read more >>
Transitional Housing
BFHP offers temporary housing (6-24 months) and intensive life skills training to 18 homeless male veterans in Berkeley. This program has been funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2011.
- Meals & shelter
- Placement into permanent housing
- Vocational & housing case management
- Life skills counselling
- Family reunification support
- Access to VA programs
- Move-in assistance
Health Care Navigation
We provide health care specific case management to Veterans and their families, including help with accessing eligible benefits, getting to appointments, filling prescriptions, establishing home aid, and referrals to other services.
Employment Services
Made possible by the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) through the U.S. Department of Labor, we are able to bring employment services into our work with veterans, thus ensuring a higher rate of success in sustaining permanent housing.
Shallow Subsidy Services
The SSVF shallow subsidy provides two years of rental assistance that will not decrease if the household increases their income. This encourages Veterans to build the financial stability necessary to sustain their housing independently.
HUD-VASH Voucher Administration
BFHP is part of a pilot program to administer Housing & Urban Development/Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers. We work with local public housing authorities to understand their eligibility criteria, and assist Veterans in preparing and submitting applications.
This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which is dedicated to ensuring that impacted veterans, service members, their families, and their caregivers thrive long after they return home.
