Montgomery County, Maryland Commission on Veterans Affairs Annual Report 2016

 

 

HUD-V

ETERANS

 A

DMINISTRATION

 S

UPPORTED

 H

OUSING

 (VASH) V

OUCHERS

 

Commission on Veterans Affairs 2016 Annual Report  Page 9 

 

In 2016, Montgomery County was awarded with 12 more HUD-VASH vouchers bringing the total since 2010 to 98 

vouchers.   

 

The Washington, DC VAMC has a full-time homeless outreach clinical social worker, Fatmata Kamara, who works 

closely with the various county and non-profit county agencies working with homeless.  When a person is located who 

identifies as a Veteran, Fatmata meets with the person to determine if they are eligible for assistance (right type of  

discharge, enough time in service, etc.).    

  

If they are eligible she completes a SPDAT which is a county wide rating survey of living conditions, mental health  

challenges and physical health problems.  There is a score attached to each section of the SPDAT.  A total score is  

assigned.  When vouchers become available, the most critical/vulnerable, highest scoring Veteran is assigned the  

voucher.  The VAMC homeless outreach team meets weekly and if a county has an open voucher, all chronically  

homeless Veterans SPDATs are reviewed and that group determines who will receive the open voucher. 

 

The program is designed to identify ‘chronically homeless’ Veterans which are those who have been homeless for at 

least one year or experienced three or more episodes of homelessness in the past three years.  It is not a program  

designed to house someone who lives with parents, lives with friends or bounces around between friends.  It is for  

Veterans who have identified as chronically  homeless based on the nationwide definition of chronic homelessness. 

 

HUD-VASH Vouchers Awarded to Housing Opportunities Commission (2010 - 2016) 

10400 Detrick Avenue, Kensington, MD 

240-627-9400 

  2010  2011 

2012 

2013 

2015 

2016 

Total 

HUD-VASH Vouchers 

25 

25 

15 

15 

6 

12 

98 

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Commission on Veterans Affairs 2016 Annual Report  Page 10 

MCTV D

OCUMENTARY

 

ON

 V

IETNAM

 V

ETERANS

 

 

Montgomery College Television (MCTV) 

presented the world premiere screening of its 

video documentary Honor and Gratitude: 

Chronicles of Montgomery County Vietnam 

Veterans on March 23, 2016, in the Cultural 

Arts Center on the College’s Takoma Park/

Silver Spring Campus. 

 

The documentary was produced by Emmy-

award winning directors Dan Rankin 

(MCTV) and Barbara Grunbaum (County 

Cable Montgomery). The 70-minute film tells 

the stories of seven military Veterans from 

Montgomery County, including a  

prisoner of war, who served in Vietnam. 

Three of the Veterans featured are  

Montgomery College alumni. “The  

documentary features the narratives of a  

prisoner of war, a nurse, a Marine, two infantrymen, an air cavalryman and a boat operator. Some were drafted; some  

enlisted,” said Ms. Grunbaum. “Taken together, their stories paint a picture of this controversial war’s impact on those 

who fought on the front lines, as well as what they faced when they returned home.” Following the documentary, there 

was a panel discussion, and question and answer session, featuring Vietnam Veterans.  

 

The film continues the Montgomery College tradition of recognizing Veterans - embodied today by their longstanding 

Combat2College program that provides academic and social support services for students who are Veterans.  The  

program fosters a welcoming environment for Veterans and service members who are transitioning into college, while 

adapting the skills they developed from military training and combat experience. 

 

To watch the full documentary, please visit 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3OAnvShg-0

. 

 

From left to right: Bill Gray, Jane McCarthy, Ricky Black, Steve Campanella, Mike Walsh, Wayne Miller 

Photo courtesy of Montgomery College - Pete Vidal 

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Commission on Veterans Affairs 2016 Annual Report  Page 11 

MCTV D

OCUMENTARY

 

ON

 V

IETNAM

 V

ETERANS

 C

ONTINUED

 

 

From left to right: Steve Campanella, Bill Gray, Jane McCarthy, Mike Walsh, Wayne Miller 

Photos courtesy of Montgomery College - Pete Vidal 

 Navy Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr. (Ret.) 

Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., joined the Navy as an aviator while 

attending college in California. He was part of a bombing mission 

over North Vietnam sent in retaliation after a reported North  

Vietnamese attack a day earlier on two U.S. destroyers. The attack 

became known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident and led to the start of 

significant escalation of U.S. military action in Vietnam. Commander 

Alvarez was the first American aviator shot down over Vietnam and 

held prisoner for 8 1/2 years at the Hanoi Hilton. 

 

Commander Alvarez and his wife Tammy have made Rockville, MD 

their home since 1976 and plan to continue to live here as they love 

our community. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Alvarez &  

Associates, LLC.  They have two sons Marc and Bryan. Marc is an 

attorney and Vice-President of Alvarez & Associates. Bryan is a  

physician and Commander in the U.S. Navy and completed two tours 

in Iraq. Commander Alvarez and wife Tammy have two  

grandchildren. He and his wife serve on the committee of the Green 

Road Project of Walter Reed Institute for Integrative Health that  

provides a natural healing environment for injured service members 

and their families. Green Road Project:  

http://tiih.org/what-we-do/build-healthy-communities/green-road-

project/

 

 

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