The Regional Opportunity Center houses up to 156 men at a time: 24 beds are used for detoxification, 24 beds for "Shelter Plus Care" transitional housing for elderly or disabled veterans, and 108 beds for New Directions’ long-term substance abuse and mental health program. This 60,000 square-foot building was rehabilitated in 1997 and contains:

• residential facilities
• kitchen and dining facilities
• comprehensive services for men with Co-Occurring Disorders
• fully equipped classrooms for computer training and Adult Basic Education
• a one-stop vocational rehabilitation center providing employment services, vocational assessment and career counseling
• meeting rooms
• gymnasium
• recreation & TV lounges
• administrative offices

New Directions North provides substance abuse treatment and mental health services in a smaller setting for homeless veterans with Co-Occurring Disorders including severe and persistent mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, severe depression). Opened in March 2002, the program has a 50-person capacity and treated more than 100 veterans in its first year. Each New Directions North resident:

• receives substance abuse treatment,
• becomes part of the Co-Occurring Disorder recovery community
• attends 12-Step meetings and finds sponsors
• is assigned to a VA mental health Treatment Team--an interdisciplinary group of clinical staff members including a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, nurse/case manager (RN) and nurse’s assistant (LVN)
• receives mental health services from the team 1-3 times a week.

New Directions’ Women’s Program serves homeless female veterans in two separate facilities: Mitchell House and Barrington House. The Women’s Program offers substance abuse rehabilitation, trauma counseling, parenting classes, and job-training. New Directions serves displaced female veterans.

Chris's Place is New Directions' newest facility. Located in the Del Rey neighborhood of West Los Angeles, Chris's Place is a transitional residence specifically for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The six-bedroom house is staffed 24 hours a day and includes on-staff clinicians and case managers.

Although New Directions offers needs-specific long-term housing at five different facilities, the agency also works to help veterans find permanent housing. Typically, most veterans graduate from the New Directions program before transitioning to an apartment or home. However, some veterans may be referred through out Outreach program directly to partner service agencies or government programs (e.g., HUD-VASH) that can assist individuals in locating permanent housing.

For more information about housing opportunities or referrals, please contact Lolita Barajas at (818) 899-9873 or through email at lbarajas@ndvets.org.

For information about Winter Shelter programs in Los Angeles, call 1-800-548-6047 or visit LAHSA's website.


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