The Maryland Center for Veterans Education & Training (MCVET) is a non-profit organization established to provide homeless veterans and other veterans in need with comprehensive services that will enable them to rejoin their communities as productive citizens.

The services provided include, but are not limited to....

Day Drop-In Facility
The Day-Drop provides homeless veterans who are in need of a facility that affords a degree of comfort during the day and a feeling of camaraderie with other veterans in similar circumstances. In the Day-Drop, veterans have access to shower facilities, clothing, water and vending machines, crisis intervention counseling and a quiet haven to rest. The Facility has a 50 person capacity.

Emergency Housing
The Emergency Housing component is actually the first phase for veterans committing to the MCVET program. The Emergency Housing program has a capacity of 50 beds and is available to residents for a period not to exceed thirteen (13) weeks. During the 13 weeks, residents’ military status is confirmed and they receive VA benefits counseling. They are also assigned to a case manager who works with the resident to identify the causes of the homelessness and to outline employment and education goals.

Transitional Housing
The Transitional Housing Program has 120 beds and provides up to two years of transitional housing and supportive services to veterans who have successfully completed the Emergency Shelter Program and need continued supportive services in order to return them to employment and permanent housing.

Single Room Occupancy (SRO)
The Single Room Occupancy Program is an essential component to the overall continuum of care because it gives MCVET the ability to place veterans in permanent housing with continued access to on-site case management and counseling services. The SRO functions in conjunction with the existing Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Programs to provide a full continuum of housing, counseling and job placement services to veterans in need. Veteran applicants from outside MCVET's program, including female veterans, are also eligible for the SRO units.

Case Management & Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counseling
Prospective residents undergo assessment by a trained case manager performing intake duties to (a) determine whether or not they meet the criteria of homelessness and (b) verify their veteran status in accordance with the mission of the program. If accepted, the resident is referred to the Veterans Affairs for physical and mental health treatment, as needed. During the first 60 days of residency at MCVET, each resident is assigned to a case manager and attends addiction recovery classes daily. They receive individual counseling and on-site assistance including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and assistance with family problems. They are also assigned to a benefits counselor who assists with VA entitlements. After 60 days, the resident may move to the Transtional Housing Program where they are required to attend life skills and substance abuse classes, Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and work in conjunction with a case manager in the development of an Individual Service Strategy (ISS). The ISS is a long-range plan used as a tool to outline education, employment and housing goals and to document strategies for helping the resident stay drug free.

Health Care
Our residents often encounter mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, family problems, etc. Referrals for mental health issues are made to Veterans Affairs Medical Centers located in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. The information and referral process of MCVET ensures that its residents receive quality care for these problems. All residents have access to health care services. A Vision Care clinic is located on-site to provide services for MCVET’s residents. Physical health problems of a more serious nature are referred to and treated at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers or through private physicians obtained by the residents.

Education & Employment Services
The Education, Training, and Employment (ETE) program’s goal is to involve the residents of MCVET in higher education or skilled training programs that will enable them to secure first-rate employment and higher paying salaries. The first phase of the ETE program is assessment. Assessments are done in two parts. The first part is conducted with a group of peers while the resident is still in the Emergency Shelter Program. The second part is completed after the individual’s case manager makes the referral to ETE. After a resident is enrolled into a training program, the ETE program coordinator tracks his performance until the completion of his program. The individual will then be referred to employment services.