A Homeless Veteran Gets a Chance to Start Over
This past month, I got to interview a veteran, Antonio Roberti, who shared with me a life that took him on a very difficult journey. It started pre-COVID, early 2020, when he left the United States to travel abroad. He had a relative who offered him a business opportunity in China to experience financial success. It was his big chance to do something that was beyond his expectations.
Unfortunately, COVID happened and he got stuck abroad and the world seemed to shut down.
Fortunately, with a bachelor’s degree in English, he was able to find some employment to teach foreign students. However, he found himself running out of financial resources and the means to stay abroad.
Eventually, he returned to San Diego, where his family resided.
What I learned during the interview is that Roberti has had other health issues that have impacted him and that he relies on medication to deal with bi-polar disorder. He also admitted to drug abuse that caused him to lose control of his life and his world started to crumble. Even though he had family in San Diego, he became homeless. Living on the streets only ratcheted him further into a world that was filled with drug abuse and other bad lifestyles.
Roberti wanted to clean up his life and get off the streets. Thankfully, being a veteran, this allowed him to seek refuge and support from Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) and he was successfully placed at Market Street Village in San Diego.
What I also learned is that Market Street Village is an apartment property that was acquired by Community Solutions which is supported by UnitedHealth Group.
As many of us know, because San Diego is home of many active and retired military personnel, we have seen many of them experience homelessness. In fact, more than 32,000 veterans across the country are currently experiencing homelessness, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, veterans have a higher likelihood than nonveterans of becoming displaced from their homes.
I learned that UnitedHealth Group has made a second investment in Community Solutions, bringing the total amount of support to $40 million for this organization ($25 million previously, and $15 million just recently).
Stable housing, as we all know, is more than a roof, it’s a foundation for better health. When Veterans experience homelessness or housing instability, they are also at heightened risk for a host of negative physical and behavioral health outcomes — underscoring housing as a key social driver of health.
To date, UnitedHealth Group’s $25 million investment in the Community Solutions Large Cities Housing Fund has helped enable 1,384 homes across seven states — California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida. Of those, 43 percent of those newly housed are veterans.
Today, Community Solutions’ Built for Zero initiative partners with over 100 communities nationwide taking a unique approach to measurably ending homelessness. The differentiated model addresses homelessness through direct coordination with Continuums of Care (CoCs) and local housing organizations, using real-time by-name data on people experiencing homelessness within local communities to enable rapid placement and case conferencing across partners, providing specialized housing support for critical populations such as veterans, families, and individuals with complex needs.
Through a unique collaboration between Community Solutions’ civilian housing navigators and VA housing navigators, veterans receive seamless support that bridges community resources and VA benefits. This dual-navigation model ensures that no veteran falls through the cracks when transitioning from homelessness to housing stability.
According to Courtney O_______, Vice President and Treasurer for UnitedHealth Group, “We are investing, not donating, to make sure that veterans get the opportunity for quality living environments and the necessary wrap around services provided by Community Solutions.”
Community Solutions’ Built for Zero movement and methodology is aimed at measurably and equitably ending homelessness. Its data-driven strategies shift from managing homelessness to ending it. The wrap around services that Community Solutions offers provides resources, flexibility and support to meet veterans’ needs with compassion.
As Antonio Roberti has learned, the partnership between UnitedHealth Group and Community Solutions has given him a second chance at life that he doesn’t take for granted.
Category: Donations, Homeless, Housing, Local News, Nonprofit
