THE COVO PROPOSAL

Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, Inc., proposes to plan, fund, implement and operate a full-service Outreach Center to address the needs of homeless and poor veterans within the eighteen counties that are east of the Cascade Mountains. The Center would be located within Deschutes County, hopefully in or close to the City of Bend. This location would provide Center clients with easy access to public transportation, the Bend VA Clinic, public and private social service agencies, shopping areas, Central Oregon Community College and local businesses with potential for supplying employment to qualified homeless or low income veterans.

The Center would be funded with a mix of funds from private individuals and businesses, private and public charitable foundations and trusts, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and state and local agencies with funds for such services as COVO proposes to provide. It is hoped that the Center will be staffed primarily by veterans who volunteer, and secondarily by paid, skilled, non-veteran paraprofessionals, publicly funded interns and work-study students. The Center will be governed and operated by COVO's nonprofit corporation, organized pursuant to applicable federal and Oregon statutes and regulations. All financial matters will be handled by a paid, outside fiscal agent.

COVO hopes to find a suitable property upon which to locate the Center. Such a property would hopefully include existing or easily made space for transitional and emergency shelter beds, sanitary and up-to-code facilities for bathing, food preparation and laundry services. The property might be a structure easily adaptable for these purposes, such as the closed fire hall located at the intersection of NE Neff and Hamby Roads in Deschutes County, or it might be a property that can be easily renovated for COVO's and the Center's specific needs. Given the estimated number of homeless veterans in Central and Eastern Oregon in a typical year, COVO would attempt to provide at least twenty-four transitional and emergency shelter beds located at the Center. There would be an emphasis on those homeless veterans who are actively seeking employment or employment training, and those who are working and need an inexpensive, temporary housing alternative that will allow them to save money for rent, security and, if necessary, utility deposits. Additionally, those homeless and low income veterans who are committed to seeking treatment for mental health and substance abuse problems would also receive priority consideration for a bed at the Center. COVO's members and all veterans service organizations recognize that treating and resolving these serious problems must be accomplished prior to thinking about employment, training or education issues.

Finally, homeless, at-risk and low income veterans with apparently meritorious claims for disability compensation or pension from the DVA would also receive priority consideration at important points in the DVA claims process. For instance, if a homeless or low income veteran from Lakeview needed an initial evaluation for a PTSD claim, the Center would assist the veteran in making an appointment at the Bend VA Clinic, provide his or her transportation to and from their location and Bend, and see that they have a safe, warm place to sleep and get a good meal while in the Bend area. If they need transportation to either the Portland or Vancouver VA Medical Centers for a compensation or pension examination, the Center would see that appropriate arrangements are made to assist the veteran in getting to and from their appointments. The Center will have at least one certified service officer who will assist the veteran with his or her claim, including filing the claim, gathering the right documentary and other evidence, and representation as the veteran's advocate in any DVA proceeding.

Both COVO and the Center will make it a high priority to establish a full time outreach program to inform homeless, at-risk and low income veterans of benefits and assistance to which they might be entitled. This program will entail traveling throughout the eighteen rural counties that make up Central and Eastern Oregon and meeting with homeless, at-risk and low income veterans, local public and private social service agencies, and other organizations whose assistance would be beneficial to the overall success of COVO's programs. In this regard, the DVA has a specific grant program for the purchase and maintenance of vehicles for the purposes COVO proposes to address. COVO will actively seek such grant funds as might be available for transportation needs, as well as seeking donations from private individuals and businesses that would support COVO's programs.