Search & Rescue Program
Search and Rescue Outreach is our primary and most unique program, with its entire goal being to transition homeless veterans into housed veterans. Our Search & Rescue Street Outreach Teams physically go out into the forests, parks, and streets to locate and make contact with the homeless veterans that live there. Once they find them, they provide basic necessities such as clothing, outdoor equipment, and food in order to ensure the veteran’s survival until they are able and ready to be housed.
Community collaboration is key to the success of the program, as we work with any organization that offers a service that is beneficial to our clients. When our clients are ready to move out of the woods, we rapidly connect them to programs that have space available and fit the needs of our clients, whether it is a transitional group home or a permanent home with a lease. From there we focus on developing their income through VA Benefits and employment opportunities.
Through Search and Rescue we offer a number of additional services to our clients. Through Seasonal Support we provide holiday meals and Christmastime hotel stays and gifts, as well as hotel stays during inclement weather. The annual Stand Down event is a one day event designed to provide homeless and low-income veterans, and other individuals with access to dozens of community services all in one day. Many homeless and low income veterans do not have transportation, which makes this event a critical access point in successfully transitioning them to self-sustainability.
NVHS Search & Rescue is the only program of its kind in the State of Florida. We find this program to be the primary catalyst for making a difference. We do not wait for our clients to find our office, we go and find them. Please click “2013 Fact Sheet” to see our 2013 Impact Study on the Homeless Veteran Population of Brevard County to learn how Search and Rescue has impacted our local community.
