HOW DO WE ASSIST?
We have many ways of assisting veterans and their families when crisis strikes. We do not usually make cash payments, but we do have access to veteran specific trust funds that assist us in providing financial relief for our clients.
V360A actively search nationwide for homeless veterans. arrange and pay for crisis and emergency accommodation. provide access to medical and mental health services. ensure Centrelink or DVA payments are available. arrange managed, supported or independent accommodation. assist veterans to adjust through social and sporting activities. provide referrals to employment and training services. ensure through and after care services are provided.
Who Have We Assisted?
We have had contact with more than three-hundred and fifty veterans since 2015. We do not release exact numbers outside of official reporting. Our national operations team work tirelessly – seven days a week – in locating, assisting and transitioning homeless and at risk veterans into safe, secure and supported accommodation. Due to our wish to maintain dignity we do not release exact details of our clients’ experiences, but below are some examples of our recent cases.
HOW V360 SAVED OUR FAMILY
Since returning from Afghanistan our son has been fighting the demons of war.
For the past few years we have watched our son drift further and further away. One of the hardest times was having him involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward. That was to be only the beginning of an endless circle of going nowhere. We felt helpless and it seemed every time we saw a glimpse of our son, it was quickly taken away again as he had turned to drugs to ease his pain.
Just when all seemed lost we were given another lifeline. A friend put us in contact with V360. I cannot believe how quickly they moved. Jay arrived at our home in country Victoria and spoke with our son. I was still sceptical as we had been hopeful so many times. Jay convinced our son to drive with him to QLD to get help.
Within a week, they had come and taken our son off to a rehab centre.
That was 6 months ago.
Recently, our son came home for a week so that I could attend a meeting with him and watch as he received his 180 day tag from NA. He had a light in his eyes that had not been there for a long time. He is definitely coming back to us.
I will never be able to say enough thanks to V360 and especially Jay, who have given us hope that our son will once again be able to live life. He still has a long way to go, but I know that if he trips, there is hope; there is an organisation that cares and can make a difference.
Jon
One of our veteran’s (we’ll call him Jon), came to us by referral from his mate. Jon had been experiencing homelessness for almost 18 months. When we first made contact with him in Brisbane he was living on the street, had significant substance abuse and mental health issues and had no one else to turn to. Our SE Queensland coordinator made contact with him and handed him a phone, from that day on we have been honoured to work with this veteran despite having to travel across three states on the same number of occasions, to find and assist him back into rehabilitation.
Barry
Another veteran (we’ll call him Barry), was referred by a veteran welfare officer in NSW. This veteran had separated from his family, lost his employment and was living in a car a few hundred kilometres out of Sydney. With assistance from a local RSL sub-Branch welfare officer we were able to place him into a safe hotel and get an application for permanent accommodation underway.
Despite the urgency for such applications there are often barriers to immediate assistance so we managed to extend his stay through a grant from RSL DefenceCare and keep this veteran safe and accommodated until his placement was approved. He is now living in his own unit with a number of supporting service providers affording him assistance in maintaining a healthy day-to-day lifestyle and ensuring his entitlements and benefits are all up-to-date.
UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURIES
In relation to work, ‘psychological injury‘ refers to any work related stress and associated emotional condition resulting from real or perceived harm. Examples of psychological injury are depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT V360A?
In 2015 our founder realised there was a huge gap through which too many veterans and their families were falling. With his own experience of homelessness and addiction from many years before, he pioneered a veteran centric assertive outreach program, which was designed in a way the veteran could be assured of a quick response to almost any crisis anywhere in the country.
Assertive outreach is a method of assisting veterans who are vulnerable, at risk of or experiencing homelessness and/or in a mental health crisis that have nowhere else to turn. Our aim is to provide support from the point of identification to our team, through and until they are able to live independently.
We will travel to any city or location in the country and often seek out homeless veterans, whether from a referral or information received no matter where that takes us. During one such trip to a State Capital we found two veterans living on the streets of the city – with literally the clothes on their backs – we were able to assess them and then place them into hotel accommodation while we structured options for their ongoing care and welfare.
We also provide access to storage and moving services – free of charge to the veteran – assistance through trust funds for rent and bond – access to financial counselling – connectivity with estranged family and friends and a host of other services dedicated to assisting veterans who are or have been homeless while they recover and reconnect with their community.
Our operational model is based on making contact with veterans and then encouraging them to fully participate in their recovery and exit from homelessness, addiction, mental injury distress or any other situation that may be causing them distress. No one is able to do the work for another, but by providing support and advocacy, we can assist our veteran clients on to a better life, one they are in control of and where they feel a have pride of place within their community.
As the only national veteran centric homelessness and crisis support charity in Australia, we appreciate your interest and assistance in spreading the word, help is available. Our 24/7 Free Call number is 1800 838 360
Crisis & Transitional Accommodation
V360 Australia believe in a housing first model. Regardless of the issues facing anyone who is homeless, there needs to be stability in their accommodation and food supply. By providing immediate and suitable crisis accommodation, we are able to begin the process of identifying needs and case managing the veteran into services such as medical/mental health, DVA or Centrelink entitlements, connection with allied service providers and rebuilding social and family networks.
Nagel House (Medium to Longer-Term Accommodation)
A V360A initiative, Nagel House was setup in February 2016 to provide a medium to long-term accommodation facility where those who are past the crisis accommodation needs can begin to work on community reintegration. Having a stable environment where veterans can deal with medical/mental health treatment regimes, seek assistance in preparing to re-enter the private rental market and can begin retraining and employment programs is a vital aspect in the recovery from homelessness.
While this is not designed to be a permanent residential option, lodgers are not required to move into other accommodation unless they have reached a level of independence where they are no longer in need of this step-up environment.
Private C John Nagel was a Western Australian born in 1922 and passed away in Adelaide SA 2011. He served through WW2 both in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Nagel House was named in his memory after our founder was called upon by the family to assist with his estate after his death in 2011.
PTE Nagel’s family lease the property to us and are very committed to the plight of our homeless veterans and have been very gracious in not only lowering the weekly rental for this property, but also in maintaining the rent at that same rate for the duration of the lease. We honour PTE Nagel each time we admit a veteran to the house and we inform them of his service and how upon returning to Australia he transitioned into the community and forged a life for himself which ended just before his 90th birthday.