Hud Vash Application: Fill & Download for Free

VA programs, such as the HUD/VASH programs, have direct connections and specific points of contacts with local community organizations for these services. By coordinating efforts, the VA is able to more quickly and efficiently get veterans placed and provided with the assistance they need. The veteran usually has a single ‘case coordinator’ that they work with to ensure the efficiency of the process depending on each specific veteran’s needs.Additionally, homeless veteran programs with the VHA work closely with the VBA to help get homeless veterans’ claims processed more quickly. This includes applications for disability and pension benefits. See the following link for more specific information:https://www.va.gov/homeless/hud-vash_eligibility.asp

Thanks for the A2A!Oh. Oh my. I knew it was bound to happen eventually. Somebody is going to get me started on the VA and the homeless veterans. Buckle up,now. Here’s a first-hand look up close and personal at the programs, and why they aren’t working. This one is going to take a while. And, fair warning, you might not like what I have to say.Ok, there are two main programs for the homeless veterans who don’t have addiction issues or legal troubles. There are other programs for those folks but I can’t speak of those because I really know very little about them. What I DO know about is the HUD/VASH program and the SSVF. So that’s what I can talk about. And I’m going to give you an earful. All of these vague ambiguous accusations of “veterans don’t like to follow rules” making us out to be stubborn and rebellious. Veterans, more than anyone else, know that following rules save lives. Our training and our experience in the service of our country often gives us a lifelong commitment (dare I say obsession?) with what the rules are, and why those are the rules, and a need to cling to that kind of structure. It isn’t just me, but it isn’t necessarily every vet. Now, add to this an understanding of our culture. We’re supposed to be about defending freedom, fighting oppression, recognizing the difference between a lawful order and an unlawful one, understanding that not all enemies are foreign, learning to be on guard against traits of domestic enemies. These things are trained into us in boot camp, where we willingly surrender ourselves to being torn down in order to be built into something different, sacrificing our individuality for the sake of being a vital cog in the much larger picture beyond our hometowns. Again, not every vet, but not just me. So you have to wrap your head around some cultural concepts that are foreign to civilian folks. A civilian might NEVER understand, for instance, that a tool put away improperly or in the wrong place is any kind of a big deal at all. But in the military, especially in combat situations, everything being properly stowed in its proper place is like the pin that holds lives together, that minimizes casualties. Yes, to you it’s only a little thing, and we get that, we really do. But you don’t get that to us, it’s a vital thing, it calls up echoes of whispers of things best left forgotten, that other life, the experiences that went with it seeming like a completely different world from this afterward. Then you’ve got to understand that some automatic reactions were programmed in during that boot camp rebuilding, and other automatic responses formed through experience during service.For instance, I was camping a few years ago by Lake George in Colorado. Never been there before. Did not know about fighter jets doing training runs. They fly ahead of their sound. Now, in my own personal experience, what this means is that by the time you hear the jets, it’s kind of too late and you are in trouble. In the civilian experience, this is not the case. So while they startle and jump in surprise and laugh and oooh and aaah, I hit the ground and roll under the nearest vehicle like my life depends on it. Not a big deal, really. It’s not a danger to myself or others. But, it kind of matters. You’ve got to try to imagine what it’s like wearing that soldiers boots, and you really can’t, because nobody who hasn’t worn them ever can.Ok, if you’re still reading, thank you. You can’t imagine how much this opportunity to be heard means to me, as I write this in the final hours of 2019, living in my van, currently far from people. Far from New Years traditions of gunfire, and fireworks (something about the smell of fireworks really gets to me somehow). I’m very comfortable and happy where I am right now, in case you were wondering.Now, there’s also a thing about having a heightened awareness of… I’m sure there’s a way to say it with just one word, but it’s slipping my mind at the moment. It’s about tactics, strategy, vulnerabilities, cover, security, assessment. It’s hard to explain. But I can share another example. When my oldest daughter was in junior high, the school she attended sat high on a hill, with a massive staircase leading up to the entrance. At the bottom of these stairs running perpendicular was the driveway where all the parents had room to line up their vehicles single file to wait for their children to come pouring down the stairs when the bell rings. But not me. Coming down the stairs and cutting diagonally to the right brings you to an intersection, one leg of which is a short dead end. I’d arrive at the dead end about half an hour before the other parents began to line up at the school. And I’d read, or I’d write, but also I’d watch. And one day my daughter asked me about this. You know kids that age, all geez mom why can’t you just do what the other moms do, why do you have to be so weird? So, trying to explain it gently so as not to scare her, I told her. What if there’s a school shooting? Nobody can drive away, they’re all blocking each other in, they’ve cut off their escape route. But I’m always the first one here, and I watch, I pay attention, I look on purpose for anything that might be out of place or suspicious. I can’t see as much of the school if I’m locked in line with the other moms. I can’t watch over you from up there. And I learned a long time ago that you never want to be pinned down, because that’s the worst possible position to be in when something surprising happens. You have to be aware of the possible escape routes that are around you, have a plan for which way to go if there’s a fire, what to do and which way to go if someone tries to corner you, or grab you, or if someone starts shooting. Because sometimes those things happen, and it’s better to be ready for it just in case it does. Now, I can pretty much safely say that this particular train of thought and reasoning never occurred to any of those other moms lining up like cattle in a chute. That’s why I’m so weird, why I can’t be like the other moms even if I try. Being a vet stays with you, and even when the battlefield is long ago and far away, it still stays with you, you still carry the mindset that made it possible for you to survive. And maybe there isn’t really a way to say all that with just one word.Now, we move on to the VA programs. SSVF is a temporary assistance rehousing program. They’ll cover your application fees. They’ll cover your deposit. And then they’ll help with your rent for three months. After that, you are on your own and you can’t qualify for other programs or additional assistance. Then there’s the HUD/VASH program, a more long-term assistance, the VA working together with Section 8. I had to choose which of the two programs to go for, since I qualified for both but you can only pick one or the other. Because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to afford an apartment on my own in three months, I went for the HUD/VASH. There were many promises in writing concerning this program. None were true. Specifically, I would have a choice in my housing, it would be a safe and healthy environment, it would cost no more than thirty percent of my “adjusted” income (which was supposed to factor in medical expenses and similar necessities), and my food stamps would increase once I started paying rent because they adjust for that expense. The reality was this: I had a choice in my housing only insofar as that I must choose housing in an urban environment. That is the U in HUD. It’s a mandatory urban relocation program. Places where there’s gunfire, places where there are sirens, places where people are doing drugs and assaulting each other, places where you wake up to discover cockroaches on you, tasting you, places where the walls are paper thin and the sounds of copulation trigger flashbacks of rape, where the gunfire triggers flashbacks of combat, where the sirens grate your nerves screaming about unknown emergencies. Kansas City, Missouri even has a tiny house village for homeless veterans, in an area constantly assaulted by the sounds of sirens, and gunfire is heard several times in every twenty-four hours. Your “choice of housing” is limited to housing like that. You can’t choose a more rural setting, it has to be urban, and all the urban places that accept the HUD/VASH voucher are places like that. Peace and quiet are not on the menu.Furthermore, they never “adjusted” my income, and I was paying $435 a month for that apartment, on a monthly income of $904. And I did (and still do) have other bills to pay, and medical expenses. On top of that, my food stamps never went up. $16 a month is really not enough food to survive on. I couldn’t even afford to buy toilet paper while I was in that program.Oh, but that’s not the worst of it. The requirement to remain in the program is to subject oneself to random searches. Keep in mind that this is a program for vets who do not have addiction issues or trouble with the law, men and women who have served honorably. So, ok, I’ve got nothing to hide, and it’s probably like the boot camp locker check. It’s worth it to have housing, right? Only these random searches would of course occur unannounced, and at all hours. The case manager turns up in the middle of the night and threatens you with eviction because you took too long to get out of bed and get dressed and answer the door. You must be hiding something. What are you hiding? Then the “inspection”, which was no inspection at all but rather a thorough ransacking that left all belongings and clothing strewn about as if a tornado had hit, all in search of contraband. And, in my mind, all that formerly clean clothing and bedding had to be washed all over again, after being scattered on the floor with the cockroaches instead of having it searched cleanly and returned to its containers. If someone came over to help me with laundry or with cleaning or with dealing with paperwork, and that person was there doing this when my case manager arrived, she’d threaten to evict me for “the appearance of having an unauthorized person residing in my unit”. Didn’t matter that I could prove they weren’t residing there: the appearance of residing is grounds for eviction.Oh, there were letters to the congressman, and that case manager lost her job over it, but the next one was no better.I could go on. But just in case it isn’t obvious to a civilian (because I must admit that I’m still often surprised by the things that aren’t obvious to you), let’s take a look now at these facts and consider them side by side with the accusations that veterans don’t like to follow the program rules. These veterans earned their stripes and their medals. These veterans earned the freedoms that they fought for. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Only the rules are that while we are permitted life, we are not permitted any liberty or pursuit of happiness. We are treated with oppression, degradation, and mental abuse by our case managers. We are backed into a corner and our boots are nailed to the ground and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it…other than to “refuse help” which honestly that so-called “help” is harmful as…well, I’m a vet, you can probably guess which word I was going to say there, lol. Of COURSE we don’t like following the rules that strip us of our rights. Of COURSE we don’t like being treated like criminals, like liars, like scum. WE DO NOT DESERVE THIS KIND OF TREATMENT!!!!I’m sorry. Had to take a break. In spite of my best intentions, I still have a lot of rage over this.So, if your only two choices were to have shelter but be treated this way or to go camping instead, I think no one would blame you if you chose to go camping. They wouldn’t say that you were refusing help if you chose to value your dignity higher than their shelter. They would recognize it as a tactical need to fall back and regroup. As in, “Ok, I learned THAT isn’t going to work for me, and why. Now I need to figure out what CAN work for me, and how to find it.” That’s not refusing help. That’s not choosing to be homeless. It’s upholding high standards. It’s exercising liberty. It’s pursuing happiness. What is so wrong with that? Why are we condemned for that?Oh, and let’s talk about “refusing treatment” in depth for a few moments. Firstly, understand that it’s VA speak for exercising your patient rights. And, remember, veterans are really hung up on rights. That’s what we fought for. As a patient, you have the right to choose your doctor and to determine your medical care. The VA does not allow you to choose your doctor. They assign a doctor to you. If you don’t like that doctor, you can have another one assigned to you. But you don’t get to choose the doctor. And of course they are all VA doctors, and we all know at least three or four people who have suffered serious malpractice at the hands of the VA. I wouldn’t trust them with an ingrown toenail, let alone an amputation or a cardio thoracic aneurism. But if we choose to exercise our right to hire a civilian doctor of our choosing and to pay for that ourselves with whatever insurance coverage we buy, the VA calls that “refusing treatment”. VA doctors all subscribe to the same medical philosophy, and that’s the only kind the VA allows to be practiced. That philosophy is called allopathy. There are many other types of medical philosophies practiced in this country, though it is far more prevalent in other countries. Homeopathy. Holistic. Ayurvedic. Reiki. Lots of options, plenty of which I don’t even know the names for, and the best results seem to come from blending these philosophies together. But if you decide that you want inclusive medical care, things that the VA does not provide, you are “refusing treatment”. If you have adverse reactions to certain medications and the VA prescribes you medications that are really bad for you even though maybe they work fine for other people, and you don’t take the pill that would cause you dire harm, you are “refusing treatment”. And so we are deemed too crazy to know what’s good for us, when in fact we are ensuring a higher quality of more inclusive care than what the VA offers. And, while we’re on the subject, what about THIS thought: I personally don’t believe that needing peace and privacy in order to feel healthy and sane is a medical disability. I don’t believe it’s something that needs treatment. I don’t believe that makes me mentally ill. But the VA will gaslight me, try to convince me that I’m broken, that I’m all messed up, try to convince me that I NEED to drug myself into oblivion to conform with the way they want me to live my life, when in fact I am merely different and there’s not a thing wrong with that. But different isn’t something that the VA can tolerate. Nor can most of the other organizations that “help” the homeless.When we were kids, we had this plastic ball with different plastic shapes and the corespondent holes to match. And the thing is, we ALLOWED those shapes, we accepted them as they were. We never said “Oh, the circle is the best shape because it doesn’t have any angles or corners” or “The star is the best shape because it has more points”. We never judged those shapes. It was obvious that the star shape could not fit through the circle hole without mangling the star, for instance, and we accepted it. We didn’t blame the star, or the triangle, or the trapezoid for being different, for fitting into its own place and no other. If we can respect these lifeless blocks of plastic like that, understand and allow their differences, then why is it so hard to give your fellow humans the same level of respect you give those plastic blocks? Why is it so hard to accept that not everyone “fits” in an apartment in an urban environment, and that forcing them to fit there would damage them irreparably? Why is it so hard to understand that they might fit into a lifestyle that you yourself don’t fit into?Not everyone could fit into my lifestyle, living in a van with a dog, traveling the country, exploring the overlooked wonders. And, honestly, this is not my goal. I still want a home, but one which I am free to come to and go from as I please, in my own liberty and pursuit of happiness, one in a quiet wooded glen, maybe near a pond, somewhere cicadas and frogs sing me to sleep, somewhere without the constant drone of traffic broken by sirens and gunfire, without the bright lights and all the people hurrying, rushing as if their destination will cease to exist if they don’t get there just as quickly as possible. I don’t think I need to drug myself into a stupor and imprison myself in that environment. I don’t think it’s a mental illness to need a calmer more peaceful way of life than that.I begin this new year in peace and tranquility, my dog beside me, cactus standing silently in the starlight while palm trees whisper like the cornfields of my childhood. And I don’t have to pursue happiness. I found it. I’m living it. And I’m not going to give it up to satisfy society’s obsession with conformity.But hey, why listen to what I have to say? Why consider my perspective? After all, I’m one of those crazy veterans who refuses help, refuses treatment, and doesn’t like following the rules. Smh.I’ve got to stop now. This has taken a lot out of me. I’ve been writing this nonstop since last year, lol! But just in case you haven’t had enough of my perspective, you might be interested in Maggie Deigh's answer to How do you tell if someone is homeless from a bad deal or chooses to be homeless?

Yes they do. Here is the link which will answer all your queries about the stimulus packageStimulus CheckQ: Am I eligible for the coronavirus stimulus check?If you are a legal US tax resident with an SSN and income, you are eligible. This includes permanent residents, work visa holders, DACA, and more. People who aren't eligible include those without an SSN, F-1 students present for less than 5 years, and J-1 present for less than 2 years (exceptions apply).You must further meet these non-immigration requirements:Make less than $75,000 to get the full check (doubled if married)Make less than $100,000 to get anything at all (doubled if married)Not be filed as a dependent on someone else's tax returnFiled a 2018 or 2019 tax return with IRS as a resident alien for you to get the stimulus check as a direct deposit automatically[For stimulus check public charge, look at the public charge section]UnemploymentQ: Am I eligible for unemployment?If you are authorized to work for any employer, you are eligible for unemployment. This includes permanent residents, DACA, TPS, asylees, refugees and certain dependent visa holders with unrestricted EADs.Generally speaking, those who are on work visas tied to an employer (e.g. H-1B, L-1, TN) are not eligible for unemployment. This is because a condition of receiving unemployment is being "able and willing to work"; however since you do not have work authorization to start a job with any employer, you are not "able to work".[For unemployment public charge, look at the public charge section]Public ChargeQ: Is the coronavirus stimulus check considered public charge?No. The coronavirus stimulus check is actually a 2020 tax credit paid in advance, and thus does not fall under any benefit category in the public charge rule.Refer to quoted section from: Chapter 10 - Public BenefitsIn addition to the cash benefits for income maintenance identified in the rule (SSI, TANF and GA), USCIS considers any other federal, state, and local tribal cash assistance for income maintenance (other than tax credits).Q: Is unemployment (state, or federal $600/week) considered public charge?No. USCIS specifically excludes unemployment from public charge.Quoted from Chapter 10 - Public BenefitsThe following is a non-exhaustive list of public benefits that USCIS does not consider in the public charge inadmissibility determination as they are considered earned benefits:Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Social Security benefits (SSDI);Social Security;Veteran’s benefits including but not limited to HUD-VASH, and medical treatment through the Veteran’s Health Administration;Government (including federal and state) pension benefits and healthcare;Unemployment benefits;Worker’s compensation;Medicare; orFederal and state disability insurance.Q: Is the use of free coronavirus testing, treatment programs or Medicaid for coronavirus treatment considered public charge?No, refer to quoted section from: Public ChargeTo address the possibility that some aliens impacted by COVID-19 may be hesitant to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services, USCIS will neither consider testing, treatment, nor preventative care (including vaccines, if a vaccine becomes available) related to COVID-19 as part of a public charge inadmissibility determination, nor as related to the public benefit condition applicable to certain nonimmigrants seeking an extension of stay or change of status, even if such treatment is provided or paid for by one or more public benefits, as defined in the rule (e.g. federally funded Medicaid).