Gardner activist joins statewide effort to eliminate veteran homelessness in Mass.
A local voice will be joining a statewide effort to provide shelter to veterans in Massachusetts.
In March, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced a $20 million campaign to end veteran homelessness, with one of the five pillars being an advisory council that would provide guidance and support to achieve the goal of the initiative.
Stephanie Marchetti, executive director of the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center (MVOC) in Gardner, has been appointed to the End Veteran Homelessness Advisory Council, officials announced on May 8.
“This is a very important appointment for both me and MVOC,” Marchetti said. “It shows both the governor’s investment in our veterans and also the administration’s dedication to making sure veterans across the state have a voice. I’m very honored to have been identified for this group and I look forward to working with the administration on this initiative.”
Council to advise on policy initiatives, proposed regulations
The council, which will meet for the first time in June, is tasked with advising on policy initiatives, new regulations, and innovations in programming that will support the campaign, Marchetti said.
“I look forward to seeing where I fit in and what areas I’ll need to speak loudly on,” she said. “I anticipate that the lack of affordable housing in all regions of the state, and the connected need for capital funding to build more housing, will be a focus area of mine.
"I also look forward to speaking on the complicated system folks have to navigate to obtain affordable housing. It’s my hope that we can take a look at this process and see where simplifications can be made.”
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Marchetti said her role as executive director of MVOC, which operates 50 units of veteran housing in Gardner and Winchendon and serves over 700 veterans annually, puts her in a position to speak accurately about the needs of veterans in the region.
“As many people know, MVOC is embarking on a housing expansion project in Winchendon,” she said. “We anticipate breaking ground on the project later this summer, after spending four years on pre-development work, and I plan to voice lessons learned on that project to the council in the hopes it will help future housing projects move forward more quickly.”
Rising cost of living contributing to veteran homelessness
There are currently between 500 and 600 homeless veterans across the state, Marchetti said.
“I’d venture to guess a large majority of this population is located closer to the Boston area because that is where the largest shelters are, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a problem with veteran homelessness in our region,” she said. “The cost of living is soaring, and the veteran population has unique and complicated backgrounds that often require a high level of supportive services to retain housing.”
More: New program at Gardner District Court aims to get veterans on the right track
In addition to the advisory council, the campaign will include four pillars designed to address the multifaceted challenges faced by homeless veterans: the Homelessness Outreach to Placement Effort (HOPE), an initiative to engage directly with homeless veterans and facilitate their placement into stable housing; capital investments supporting veteran housing; the allocation of funds to veteran service providers to assist veterans experiencing housing instability; and an initiative to provide technical assistance to veteran service providers.
The campaign represents the largest targeted investment to address veteran homelessness in state history, according to officials. The goal behind the campaign is to make Massachusetts a state where veteran homelessness rates reach a level of “functional zero,” a federal term meaning a system where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: MVOC's Stephanie Marchetti joins End Veterans Homelessness Council
