MISSION

Final Salute Inc. (FSI) 's mission is to provide homeless women Veterans and their children with safe and suitable housing.

The federal government estimates there are currently 55,000 homeless women Veterans in the United States on any given day. For the sacrifices they and their families made, this is an unacceptable state. Final Salute Inc. believes in paying women Veterans with the proper respect due to them for the service they have provided to our country. Final Salute also works with the Veteran in establishing her plan towards independence.Veteran Homelessness White Paper V2.pdf

FSI was established to identify and meet the unique needs of homeless women Veterans and their children.

On December 23, 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported, "More than 60 percent of surveyed Grant Per Diem (GPD) programs that serve homeless women veterans did not house children, and most programs that did house children had restrictions on the ages or numbers of children. In our survey, GPD providers cited a lack of housing for women with children as a significant barrier to accessing veteran housing. In addition, several noted there were financial disincentives for providers, as VA does not have the statutory authority to reimburse them for costs of housing veterans' children. Limited housing for women and their children puts these families at risk of remaining homeless".
 
"A recent report from the VA inspector general examined veteran housing receives VA grants found bedrooms and bathrooms without locks, poorly lit hallways and women housed in facilities approved for men only. Nearly a third of the 26 facilities reviewed didn't have adequate safety precautions. For example, one female Veteran and her 18-month-old son were placed in the same facility as a male veteran who was a registered sex offender." - AP.

The needs of homeless female Veterans are immediate. They need your support today!

Factors contributing to homelessness

  • Unemployment
  • Ineligibility for or lack of Veteran’s benefits
  • Legal Trouble
  • Military Sexual Trauma
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Disabilities
  • Divorce/Separation
  • Domestic Violence
  • Lack of family or social support network
  • Substance Abuse

According to a report released in 2011 on Homeless Women Veterans by the GAO

HUD collected data on homeless women and homeless veterans but does not collect detailed information on homeless women veterans. Neither VA nor HUD collected data on the total number of homeless women veterans in the general population prior to these findings. Further, they lacked data on these women's characteristics and need on a national, state, and local level. Absent more complete data, VA did not have the information needed to plan services effectively, allocate grants to providers, and track progress toward its overall goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015.

 

Homeless women veterans the VA interviewed cited safety concerns about GPD housing, and 9 of the 142 GPD programs they surveyed indicated that there had been reported incidents of sexual harassment or assault on women residents in the past five years.

 

While VA has taken steps, such as launching an outreach campaign to end homelessness among all veterans, it lacks sufficient data about the population and needs of women veterans to plan effectively for increases in their numbers as service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Further, without improved services, women—including those with children and those who have experienced military sexual trauma—remain at risk of homelessness and experiencing further abuse. Veteran Homelessness White Paper.pdf

According to a study conducted on Veteran Homelessness by HUD and the VA

*Women Veterans are more likely to be homeless than their male counterparts.

*Women Veterans are also four times more likely to be homeless when compared to female non-veterans in the U.S. and female non-veterans in the poverty population.
 

According to the Department of Labor, Women's Bureau

A common theme in listening sessions was the perception that existing programs/services for veterans favor men. Participants believed that many seemingly gender-neutral programs failed to ensure equality in the level and types of assistance provided to men and women. The top priorities of the women veterans were achieving independence, finding permanent housing, obtaining education/training and employment, meeting their financial obligations, and fulfilling their parental responsibilities. They sought resources and programs to facilitate achieving these goals.
 
The women Veterans expressed a desire for sex-segregated residential centers staffed by qualified individuals sensitive to the female veteran culture. Women, especially those with a history of MST and domestic violence, report feeling more secure and comfortable in a female-only environment. Single-sex housing and treatment arrangements may facilitate recovery for women. Locating centers in safer residential areas, away from drug dealers and violence, is also essential.
 
The listening session participants emphasized the need for programs targeting homeless women veterans "that are more proactive than reactive." Preventing homelessness, such as providing rent assistance and other supports, is more accessible than dealing with the problem later.