Merced County has a task force for homeless veterans. Is it working?

An outreach campaign this week is a ramped up effort to locate homeless veterans in Merced County and connect them to services and housing, according to officials.

The county-wide No More Homeless Veterans Task Force takes its members from a number of public entities and nonprofits, according to officials. Merced Mayor Mike Murphy has challenged area leaders to end veteran homelessness in the county.

Carol Bowman of the Merced County Continuum of Care said the group has the resources to quickly house homeless veterans once they are identified. “Housing veterans is our priority and always will be,” she said.

The team combs homeless encampments and other places the homeless might frequent to speak with each individual. There is some evidence that the push to house veterans may be working.

In 2015, there were 88 homeless veterans in the county, according to an annual tally by Continuum. The next year saw the number go down to 25 homeless veterans, and this year’s count tallied 17. The annual tally is a snapshot of the homeless problem and does not reflect an exact count, officials have stressed.

A new method this year from United Way of Merced County uses grant dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development to pay two full-time outreach workers. Another 20 veterans have been housed this year, according to officials.

Later this month the groups plan an effort to help homeless veterans. The Vet Connect Day begins at 9 a.m. Aug. 24 at the Merced County Veterans Services Office, 3376 N. Highway 59, Suite D., Merced. There will be free bus transportation for all veterans.

For more, call the Veterans Services Office at 209-385-7588 or the United Way of Merced County at 209-383-4242.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Merced County has a task force for homeless veterans. Is it working?."