141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

275774
My way home

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 12:45 PM - 12:50 PM

Stephanie Rodrigues, PhD , Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Bedford, MA
Michelle Ziedonis , National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, MA
Ramsey Yount , 2600 Productions, Atlanta, GA
Tori LaConsay , 2600 Productions, Atlanta, GA
David Smelson, Psy.D. , Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Vincent Kane, MSW , National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Philadelphia, PA
A major goal of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and specifically, the National Center on Homelessness among Veterans is to eliminate Veteran homelessness by 2015. This short anti-stigma public service announcement reflects a recent high school graduate's commitment to reducing stigmas associated with homeless Veterans among her peer group by focusing on the story of a former homeless Veteran who agreed to share her experiences in the hopes of disproving several myths associated with homelessness among Veterans. State and federal officials are also featured in this short public service announcement to provide educational information on Veteran homelessness and available resources for Veterans who are currently homeless or at-risk of being homeless. The public service announcement concludes with a call to action urging high school students to help promote interest and support for the cause in order to raise awareness and eliminate stigmas associated with Veteran homelessness that make it difficult to provide assistance to our nation's heroes.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify several common stigmas associated with homelessness among veterans. Describe the story of a former homeless veteran who agreed to share her experiences in the hopes of disproving several myths associated with homelessness among veterans. Demonstrate a high school student's commitment to reducing the stigmas of homeless veterans among her peer group.

Keywords: Homelessness, Veterans

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal/co-principal investigator of multiple federally funded grants focusing on homelessness among Veterans. My scientific interests focus on the reduction of stigma to increase the provision of services in order to promote recovery and housing stabilization.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.