Officials with the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Healthcare System held a summit Monday in Fort Myers aimed at better addressing the needs of homeless and at-risk veterans in Southwest Florida. 

More than 40 representatives from the VA and social service organizations in Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties met in Fort Myers for a day-long summit aimed at better coordinating efforts to address homelessness among Southwest Florida’s veteran population. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates the number of homeless female vets more than doubled between 2006 and 2010. 

Homelessness among women vets looks different than male veteran homelessness according to Bay Pines Homeless Veterans Coordinator Jennifer Sprague.  “Typically, we’re not necessarily finding those women on the street,” said Sprague.  Instead, she says women vets are more likely to be found ‘couch surfing’ or staying with loved ones.

“So those are a little bit more behind the scenes and so you have to do a little more creative outreach in order to locate those females; especially the females with children.  It’s hard to ask for help, especially when you have children, in fear of what may happen.  And so we really try to break down that barrier and let those veterans know that we are here to help.”

Sprague says the Summit highlights the VA’s Supportive Services to Veteran Families program.  Through the Obama Administration’s campaign to end veteran homelessness by 2015, VA Secretary Robert McDonald announced earlier this month, the availability of $93 million in grants for non-profits that help low-income veteran families.