Kalispell walk looks to support unsheltered veterans

The Kalispell Veterans Affairs team is hosting a community Walk and Roll event on Monday, May 15 beginning at 8 a.m.

The annual VA2K event features a 2-kilometer walk and roll and encourages people to live active lifestyles and support veterans who are unsheltered through voluntary donations of food and new clothing items.

The event is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. and takes place at the Kalispell VA CBOC, located at 31 Three Mile Drive, Suite 102. Donations to support Montana Veterans who are unsheltered are welcome, but not required to participate. There is a local need in Kalispell for new toiletries and canned food.

In Montana, there was a 56.4% increase in Veterans who were homeless from 2021 to 2022. In 2022, Montana VA was able to help 211 Veterans secure housing. It is anticipated that more veterans and others in Montana’s communities will experience homelessness in 2023 due to housing shortages and rising housing costs.

Resources exist to help Veterans secure housing. Some of these Montana VA resources include:

Veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless due to financial hardship, unemployment, addiction, depression, or transition from jail can contact the Montana VA Homeless Program at (406) 447-6144 or (406) 373-3927. Available support includes: immediate food and shelter, including both transitional and permanent housing, job training, life skills development, and education, support with justice system navigation and community re-entry from jail, financial support to prevent homelessness, treatment for addiction and depression, and health and dental care.

Veterans may be eligible for financial housing assistance through the Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. The HUD-VASH program combines Section 8 rental assistance for homeless Veterans with case management and clinical services provided by Montana VA. These vouchers cover a percentage of a Veteran’s rental costs. Most HUD-VASH participants rent from private landlords and partnerships with public and private housing providers is essential to the success of this program.

Veterans experiencing homelessness can also call 877-4AID VET (or 877-424-3838) to connect with a trained VA staff member 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

One-third of Montana VA’s HUD-VASH vouchers for Veterans remain unused by Montana landlords. If filled, these unused vouchers could represent stable housing for 187 Montana Veterans at risk for homelessness. Landlords who are interested in helping Veterans find stable housing through HUD-VASH vouchers can call (406) 447-6000 and ask for the Homeless Program to learn more.

Community groups who are interested in participating in the Kalispell VA2K event should contact Pamela at 406-758-2712.