Homeless veteran population a glaring concern as volunteers complete annual count

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Volunteers on Thursday spread across Sedgwick County to determine how many homeless people are living in the Wichita area. From that total count, a sect of the homeless population drawing concern is veterans.

Passageways, a military veteran support organization that provides shelter and services for homeless veterans, works to locally address a nationwide issue. When Passageways Co-founder Susan Moellnger and her daughter started the organization in 2014, they weren’t aware of how apparent the homeless-veteran problem was.

In nearly a decade, they say the population of local veterans in-need hasn’t improved. It’s a population that continues to increase, going against the national trend, despite programs like Passageways.

At Passageways, Moellinger described how the organization can help veterans transition from living on the streets to permanent housing.

“They have steps to go through to graduate. There’s constant work being done,” she said. “We help them get jobs, benefits through the VA, whatever we can do to get them through the next level.”

Since the start of Passageways in 2014, Moellinger said 112 veterans have graduated from the organization to a new beginning. Organizers are trying to determine why homelessness has worsened in Sedgwick County.

“Three years ago, it stayed around 57 to 58 (homeless veterans), which is alarming because change isn’t going on,” Moeller said. “Last year, it jumped to 66. That’s on the point-in-time count, which is a one-day count of all homeless in Sedgwick County. It’s a target. It’s a way to measure, but it’s not completely accurate.”

While Wichita has resources to help homeless vets, Moeller believes addressing the root cause of homelessness would result in real change.

“We believe that we need to address the issues first,” she said. “Let’s address what caused the homelessness first. When they’re on their own, they have that toolbox to be able to draw from, to help them stay housed and not become homeless again.”

The numbers from Thursday’s point-in-time count of Sedgwick County’s homeless population won’t be confirmed until Spring.

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