New Media Vegas Nominates Veterans Village Las Vegas Founder Dr. Arnold Stalk for CNN Hero Award

LAS VEGAS - April 3, 2016 - PRLog -- WHAT: Dr. Arnold Stalk, PhD, founder of Veterans Village, Downtown Las Vegas have streamlined the process of housing displaced, disadvantaged, and homeless United States Veterans.  His game changing Crisis Intervention triage system takes 1-2 hours versus the 90-120 days it takes the Veterans Administration to accomplish.

They do this with a comprehensive network of public and private partners/providers 24/7/365.

We have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Stalk (Arnie) , for quite some time now and have seen firsthand the countless lives he and Veterans Village/ SHARE have impacted.  For more than 40 years, Arnie  has been committed to community.  Stalk first founded a nonprofit organization on Southern California in 1983 and in  1994 he formed the Non-Profit SHARE.  The original acronym stood for Supportive Housing and Resources for the Elderly.  We like to think that "E" in SHARE stands for EVERYONE.

For Arnie   it's about the people… nothing more, nothing less.  It's about the basic needs…. It is about access to life's most basic necessities; food, clothing, shelter, medical services, education, addiction recovery, transportation, and jobs.  It is about easing the pain of the suffering."~M. Duane Forkner, CEO New Media Vegas, LLC

Now in its fourth year of operations, the Veterans Village business model is only one of the many first of its kind Dr. Stalk has spearheaded during his forty plus years of commitment to community.

As the Founder of Veterans Village, Las Vegas Dr. Stalk is filling a need where the Government has failed and is doing in one day what it takes the Veterans Administration ninety to one hundred and twenty days to do.  Veterans Village Las Vegas is a functional model that can be replicated in any city.  It's a real solution to a real problem.  Below is a breakdown of the process that clearly demonstrates why it works.

The Veterans Village Las Vegas Emergency Housing Fund is the "Safety Net" that is a unique, efficient and effective method to triage and expedite the process to provide housing and intensive supportive services to a United States Veteran.  Veterans Village  is open 24/7/365 and is able to help take a US Veteran from the streets to housing within hours opposed to weeks and months that it normally takes with the US Department of Veteran Affairs and other housing agencies.

Veterans Village Las Vegas is a "Safety Net" that provides "Bridge Housing" working in collaboration and housing US Veterans with other partner agencies such as The VA, US Vets and HELP USA, housing a Veteran while the bureaucracy takes time to process the Veteran to other housing.  This solves a major problem with the elimination of downtime in delivering housing and services.

Veterans Village Las Vegas has its initial residence located at 1150 Las Vegas Blvd. South which is 122 units with a 24/7/365 Crisis Intervention Center and is currently in escrow and its second site to be located at 50 North 21^st Street, Downtown Las Vegas and will be a 204 unit residence also containing a 24/7/365 Crisis Intervention Center.

The process of in which a US Veteran is chosen includes a "Triage Interview" of each resident by a Veterans Village Crisis Intervention Specialist, and assessment of the individuals needs and a plan of action which includes housing, job referral, food/nutrition, clothing, medical or mental health access, 12 step meetings, if needed and the comradery of Veterans living with other Veterans.

Case management is provided through partnerships with local collaborating agencies such as WestCare Nevada, HELP of Southern Nevada, US Vets, HELP USA, Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada Mental Health, The US Department of Veterans Affairs an d other nonprofit agencies.

The average length of stay for a resident at Veterans Village Las Vegas is 6 to 18 months depending the individual's situation and plan of action to reenter mainstream society.

The process of housing a U.S Veteran resident at Veterans Village Las Vegas is as follows:

Step #1:
A complete triage of the Veteran is made which includes why the Veteran is homeless, where they are living, what income that they may have and how we can get them comfortable and stabilized.

Step #2:
Once the initial triage is completed, Veterans Village crisis intervention staff may confer and reach out to its partnering agencies who may provide immediate assistance depending on the need which could include emergency suicide prevention, emergency room/urgent care needs, employment and other needs that could arise depending on the individual and the crisis at hand.

Step #3:
Assess the financial situation of the Veterans.  Many arrive with no funds and Veterans Village Las Vegas could provide emergency housing assistance, if available and in many cases, provides that gap funding until benefits are restored or vouchers may be available from Veterans Village Las Vegas partners.  All methods are explored to prevent the Veteran from going back onto the street.  Nobody is ever refused service at Veterans Village Las Vegas 24/7/365.  This 24/7/365 crisis intervention process is unique to Veterans Village as the only agency that provides this type of service to our Veterans in the USA.

Step #4
A plan of action is implemented and monitored during the residency at Veterans Village Las Vegas and is monitored by the crisis intervention specialist for the duration of residency.

Step #5
The United States Veteran moves into permanent housing and the Veterans Village Las Vegas mission is accomplished:

Outcome:
Housing our United States Veterans one at a time with respect and dignity.

For Interviews, photo opportunities and additional information we invite you to contact:

Dr. Arnold Stalk, PhD, Founder
Veterans Village Las Vegas
702-624-5792
arnoldstalk@gmail.com