to renovate and furnish. The partnership was a great win for both the City of Tustin and Orange County Rescue Mission, and is a model of private and public sectors working together. A Homeless Veteran’s Journey to Restoration O range County Rescue Mission’s philos- ophy is that homelessness is a symptom of something deeper. While having physical needs met is a first step, efforts are focused on assessing and treating the root causes in people’s personal lives that led to homelessness. First and foremost is the need for a trusting relationship with Jesus Christ; this becomes the foundation for all other changes. Tustin Veterans Outpost, both the facility and the program, are contexts for healing and restora- tion that are uniquely suited to homeless veterans. Building trust with a veteran begins with the structure and chain of command that makes him or her feel safe and comfortable. However, with the pecking order of ranks eliminated, the case manager and chaplain are the “command”—men who love God with all of their hearts and who have dedicated themselves to knowing how to best serve the homeless veteran community. Camaraderie is optimized at Tustin Veterans Outpost by a heavy emphasis on group counseling, process groups, and doing life together. Having camaraderie once again, after experiencing the loss of it, supports the healing process. Hearing that the men and women whom they respect are also experiencing troubles that led to homeless- ness helps veterans in the program to admit that they need help—and that it’s okay to need help. The key is that now, camaraderie is for building up a veteran as a healthy person whose identity is being shaped by his or her relationship with Jesus Christ. And he or she is experiencing friendships 14 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019  America has more than 630,000 homeless people, and about 67,500 are veterans. That means more than one in 10 homeless people in America are veterans.  The veteran population is twice as likely to become chronically homeless than other American groups. Contributing factors include long periods of unemployment, foreclosure, mental illness, and poverty.  Over 968,000 veterans lived in poverty in the last year.  76 percent of homeless veterans experience issues with alcohol, drugs, or mental health.  30.2 percent of veterans ages 18–24 are unemployed.  89 percent received an honorable discharge.  67 percent served three years or more.  47 percent are Vietnam veterans.  15 percent served before Vietnam.  5.5 percent are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Profile of Homeless Veterans These statistics from The Military Wallet illuminate the state of veterans experiencing homelessness