Please tune in to Circle City News on November 11 at 7:00pm. Executive Vice President Cindy Thomas will tell us about Helping Homeless Veterans and Families.
Mrs. Cindy Thomas received a BA in Psychology from Indiana University in 1988 and a MSW from IU in 1990. She became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 1996. She worked for 5 yrs as a family counselor for active Navy personnel at the now-closed Alameda Naval Air Station, CA. Currently she is the Executive Vice President of Helping Homeless Veterans and Families (HVAF) in Indiana. Please visit their website at: http://www.hvaf.org/index.php
Then she worked with the San Francisco VA’s Homeless Outreach Team where she case managed chronically mentally ill homeless veterans in the community. In 1988, she returned to Indianapolis and worked for the Indianapolis VA on the outpatient psychiatric clinic, counseling veterans and families on a variety of issues. In 2001, she joined the HVAF of Indiana, Inc. staff of 5, under our current Pres and CEO, Charles Haenlein, when we were known as Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation. HVAF stands for Helping Homeless Veterans and Families. HVAF now has a staff of 41 and houses 145 homeless veterans every night, with a wait list of 35+. She oversees the social workers and peer counselors, and helps in writing proposals to procure grant funding for their many programs.
On personal note, she is married to a social worker who has worked with homeless veterans for 20 years. They have 3 daughters, ages 9, 6 & 3. Her father is a retired Capt in the USAF, a pilot who flew B52’s during Vietnam.
Comments