Unsheltered homelessness among veterans: correlates and profiles

We identified correlates of unsheltered status among Veterans experiencing homelessness and describe d distinct subgroups within the unsheltered homeless Veteran population using data from a screening instrument for homelessness that is administered to all Veterans accessing outpatient care at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility . Correlates o f unsheltered homelessness included male gender, white race, older age, lower levels of VHA eligibility, substance use disorders, frequent use of VHA inpatient and infrequent use of VHA outpatient services, and residing in the West. We identified six disti nct subgroups of unsheltered Veterans; the tri - morbid frequent users represented the highest need group, but the largest group was comprised of Veterans who made highly infrequent use of VHA healthcare services. Differences between sheltered and unshelter ed Veterans and heterogeneity within the unsheltered Veteran population should be considered in targeting housing and other interventions.National Center on Homelessness Among Veteran

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CREATE WINDFALL OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT OF MIXED NORTHERN HARDWOODS

The regeneration and reorganization of organisms and their habitat post-disturbance is a primary mechanism by which ecosystems maintain functionality in a changing environment. This adaptation to disturbance lends dynamism and resiliency to landscapes. Yet, the 20th century was marked by an alarming loss of global biodiversity, pointing to the likelihood that the rate of ecological disturbance generated by human systems today is either too frequent or too intense to be beneficial to ecosystems, and rather poses a risk to ecosystem functionality and the carrying capacity of Earth systems. Compounding these risks is high uncertainty regarding the potential for stronger, more frequent occurrences of natural disturbances as the planet\u27s atmosphere warms. Observing and documenting forest responses to natural disturbances provides opportunity to adapt conventional natural resources management to ecosystem-based management. The objective of this study was to document forest response to a severe thunderstorm disturbance in mixed northern hardwoods, and to assess the effects of single tree selection harvest on gap opening and community succession in maple (Acer saccharum) dominated stands. For this research, I measured forest canopy response to intermediate storm disturbance using aerial imagery and compared gap morphology of northern hardwood forests across a spectrum of prior human disturbance (primary old growth, unmanaged second growth, and working second growth timber stands). This research provides evidence that single tree selection harvest in second growth forests creates more open canopy than in old growth forest, but gaps are smaller, more frequently distributed, and close rapidly. Severe thunderstorm disturbance did not increase mean gap size in stands with recent single tree selection harvest, indicating this harvest method effectively replaces storm damage as the primary disturbance mechanism the forest depends on for gap regeneration. I surveyed storm damage and seedling regeneration in 14 maple-basswood storm gaps and found basswood (Tilia americana) to be especially vulnerable to tree fall, robust sugar maple regeneration at all sites, and the potential origination for a yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) grove where single tree selection and natural wind disturbance coincided. I monitored microsite climate and coarse wood mass and volume in a subset of gaps and forest interior locations and found evidence that Acer seedlings outcompeted other species across a wide range of understory light availability. Thunderstorm disturbance resulted in the deposition of an immense volume of coarse woody debris in gap habitats. Finally, I used stable isotopes to quantify the retention of carbon (C) in coarse woody debris and the proportion transferred to soil after a hypothetical treefall disturbance. My research indicates up to 10% of log C transferred to soil after six years decomposition, but C pathways were highly variable across sites. Findings detailed in the following chapters support the conclusion that single tree selection management of second growth maple-basswood stands is effective in promoting robust Acer seedling regeneration in the western Upper Peninsula. Single tree selection was also found to moderately improve species richness among seedlings compared to unmanaged second growth, likely due to greater canopy richness. However, seedling species evenness was poor across second growth stands regardless of management or storm disturbance. These results emphasize the importance of adapting ecosystem-based management practices within single tree selection methods. Maximizing the retention of diverse canopy tree species as seed trees can facilitate more diverse regeneration in mixed northern hardwood timber stands. Cutting larger, less frequent gaps would better mimic canopy-gap mosaics of old growth forest, and extend the time period of elevated light availability to foster in-gap regrowth and recruitment. In storm gaps, as the fallen trees decompose new substrates will be available for seed germination and may improve community recruitment over time. In unmanaged second-growth hardwood stands with low canopy diversity, planting may be necessary to improve community diversity, and storm gaps provide light-rich environments where such attempts may be most successful

Life Experiences that Contributed to the Independence and Success in the Lives of Foster Care Alumni

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the factors which helped these foster care alumni to persevere and to succeed. The intent was to provide a framework for equipping youth in foster care more effectively by building on their strengths and the resources available in foster care. The study’s method incorporated the interviewing of ten ethnically diverse individuals who had experienced the foster care system. Based on their insights and the themes which emerged, the WARRIORS Model was created. This acronym represents the key themes derived from the interviews: Wounded, Advocacy, Reality of Belonging, Resources, Inspired to Succeed, Obtain Life Skills, Resilience and Spirituality. A Wounded past was the reality of every participant yet many found purpose and meaning in their Advocacy roles. The Reality of Belonging was vital in each of their lives in addition to accessing Resources for post-high school educational and housing options, both implicating the significance of foster parent involvement. All were Inspired to Succeed both personally and educationally and were receptive to Obtain the Life Skills necessary for their future independence and success. They demonstrated such hopeful countenance and profound Resilience, in addition to accessing and benefitting from their chosen avenues of Spirituality. Finally, while navigating through both the negative and positive aspects of their lives, these youth have revealed the strength of the human spirit which has given them every right to be identified as WARRIORS. The WARRIORS Model can be utilized by clinicians and professionals involved in the systems addressing the needs of youth in foster care and training foster parents. Greater opportunities are needed for youth in foster care to advocate for themselves and others with the hope of gaining a sense of worth as their opinions are valued by the adults claiming to represent them. Finally, further research is needed concerning the spiritual development of youth in foster care and ways in which we can assist in this promising aspect of cultivating resilience as evidenced in this study and other established research. The electronic version of this dissertation can be found at the OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/et

Life Experiences that Contributed to the Independence and Success in the Lives of Foster Care Alumni

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the factors which helped these foster care alumni to persevere and to succeed. The intent was to provide a framework for equipping youth in foster care more effectively by building on their strengths and the resources available in foster care. The study’s method incorporated the interviewing of ten ethnically diverse individuals who had experienced the foster care system. Based on their insights and the themes which emerged, the WARRIORS Model was created. This acronym represents the key themes derived from the interviews: Wounded, Advocacy, Reality of Belonging, Resources, Inspired to Succeed, Obtain Life Skills, Resilience and Spirituality. A Wounded past was the reality of every participant yet many found purpose and meaning in their Advocacy roles. The Reality of Belonging was vital in each of their lives in addition to accessing Resources for post-high school educational and housing options, both implicating the significance of foster parent involvement. All were Inspired to Succeed both personally and educationally and were receptive to Obtain the Life Skills necessary for their future independence and success. They demonstrated such hopeful countenance and profound Resilience, in addition to accessing and benefitting from their chosen avenues of Spirituality. Finally, while navigating through both the negative and positive aspects of their lives, these youth have revealed the strength of the human spirit which has given them every right to be identified as WARRIORS. The WARRIORS Model can be utilized by clinicians and professionals involved in the systems addressing the needs of youth in foster care and training foster parents. Greater opportunities are needed for youth in foster care to advocate for themselves and others with the hope of gaining a sense of worth as their opinions are valued by the adults claiming to represent them. Finally, further research is needed concerning the spiritual development of youth in foster care and ways in which we can assist in this promising aspect of cultivating resilience as evidenced in this study and other established research. The electronic version of this dissertation can be found at the OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/et

“You don’t see them on the streets of your town”: challenges and strategies for serving unstably housed veterans in rural areas

Research on policy and programmatic responses to homelessness has focused largely on urban areas, with comparatively little attention paid to the rural context. We conducted qualitative interviews with a nationwide sample of rural-serving agencies receiving grants through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families program to better understand the housing needs, available services, needed resources, and challenges in serving homeless and unstably housed veterans in rural areas. Respondents discussed key challenges—identifying unstably housed veterans, providing services within the rural resource context, and leveraging effective collaboration—and strategies to address these challenges. Unmet needs identified included emergency and subsidized long-term housing options, transportation resources, flexible financial resources, and additional funding to support the intensive work required in rural areas. Our findings identify promising programmatic innovations and highlight the need for policy remedies that are responsive to the unique challenges of addressing homelessness and housing instability in rural areas.Accepted manuscrip

Characteristics and likelihood of ongoing homelessness among unsheltered veterans

INTRODUCTION: Unsheltered homelessness is an important phenomenon yet difficult to study due to lack of data. The Veterans Health Administration administers a universal homelessness screener, which identifies housing status for Veterans screening positive for homelessness. METHODS: This study compared unsheltered and sheltered Veterans, assessed differences in rates of ongoing homelessness, and estimated a mixed-effect logistic regression model to examine the relationship between housing status and ongoing homelessness. RESULTS: Eleven percent of Veterans who screened positive for homelessness were unsheltered; 40% of those who rescreened were homeless six months later, compared with less than 20% of sheltered Veterans. Unsheltered Veterans were 2.7 times as likely to experience ongoing homelessness. DISCUSSION: Unsheltered Veterans differ from their sheltered counterparts-they are older, more likely to be male, less likely to have income-and may be good candidates for an intensive housing intervention. Future research will assess clinical characteristics and services utilization among this population

National Party Politics and Supranational Politics in the European Union: New Evidence from the European Parliament

Political parties play an important role in structuring political competition at different levels of governance in the European Union (EU). The political parties that contest national elections also participate in the EU legislative institutions, with the governing parties at the national level participating in the Council of Ministers and a broad range of national parties represented in the European Parliament (EP). Recent research indicates that national parties in the EP have formed ideological coalitions -- party groups -- that represent transnational political interests. These party groups appear to manage legislative behavior such that national interests -- which dominate the Council of Ministers -- are subjugated to ideological conflict. In this paper, we demonstrate that the roll-call vote evidence for the impact of party groups in the EP is misleading. Because party groups have incentives to select votes for roll call so as to hide or feature particular voting patterns, the true character of political conflict is never revealed in roll calls.

Needles in a haystack: screening and healthcare system evidence for homelessness

Effectiveness of screening for homelessness in a large healthcare system was evaluated in terms of successfully referring and connecting patients with appropriate prevention or intervention services. Screening and healthcare services data from nearly 6 million U.S. military veterans were analyzed. Veterans either screened positive for current or risk of housing instability, or negative for both. Current living situation was used to validate results of screening. Administrative evidence for homelessness-related services was significantly higher among positive-screen veterans who accepted a referral for services compared to those who declined. Screening for current or risk of homelessness led to earlier identification, which led to earlier and more extensive service engagement