$5 million in housing vouchers to aid veterans in four states
SEATTLE (AP) — The Department of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs say they will give almost $5 million in vouchers to public housing authorities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state.
The 675 HUD veteran rental assistance vouchers went to 27 public housing authorities in four states.
Officials say the vouchers are critical tools in helping communities effectively end homelessness among veterans.
When combined with earlier awards, the vouchers mean 41 housing authorities have the capacity to provide affordable housing to almost 6,000 veterans who risk homelessness.
The awards announced in a press release Sunday were part of a national announcement of $43 million awarded to 325 housing authorities.
HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Jeff McMorris says thanks to the program, thousands of once-homeless veterans in the Pacific Northwest have homes.
— The Associated Press
This article hit close to home for me. See, I know this guy, a great guy. He’d do anything for me, as I would for him.
I met Charles in the Los Angeles area in 2002 when we were both working at a place called “Labor Ready.” It’s basically a temp agency for Americans who are willing to do those jobs that “Americans aren’t willing to do.” You show up at 5 am, check in at the desk, and stand around waiting for someone to call who wants someone to do manual labor.
One day I went on this job with a guy there. He was older, had a long gray braided ponytail and a thick gray beard. I don’t recall what the job was we were sent on, digging ditches or something similar. While most of the other laborers were doing their best to do as little as possible, me and this guy were working hard, doing as much as possible for the job we were hired for. It was hard work. I was about 35 then, but here’s this guy about 20 years older than me busting his ass just as hard or harder than I was. “Who IS this guy?” I wondered.
We got to talking and eventually he told me he was a veteran of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and had done a tour in Vietnam. We became fast friends and since we were the two hardest workers at that particular Labor Ready, people often asked for us specifically when they needed workers. It also worked well because I owned a car and he didn’t.
After work we’d often have a few beers at his place. His place is a roughly 7’x10′ shack (ironically, about the size of a prison cell) in the backyard of his sister’s house. It has a couch and a desk and not much else. He started opening up to me about his experiences in the war. The stories were occasionally humorous, most often tearful. I felt honored that he’d picked me as the one to talk to about them because he never really talks about that stuff to anyone else.
Once we went to a bar, and he was getting into his Vietnam experience more deeply than ever. We had probably had just a wee too much to drink. He spotted some clown seated nearby wearing a cap with “Special Forces” on it, that this guy obviously did not earn. Charles screamed at him, “You were never in the Special Forces! Take that fucking hat off!” The guy’s eyes bugged got wide as saucers and he froze. So Charles lunged at him to take the hat himself, but I was quicker. I managed to jump in front of him and restrain him. The guy with the hat ran out the back. Which is good, because Charles would have most likely killed him.
We sat back down, and he told me another story. This time the tears came pretty good. And he ended between sobs with, “You should have been there with me, brother. You should have been there with me, brother.”
“I would have. But I was only like three years old.”
It was one of the most flattering things anyone has ever said to me.
I moved away from Los Angeles a few years ago. He’s still there. Same room. Still no car. Still doing the same kind of work. Often, he helps my mother with work she needs done around the house. A couple years ago they both called me from my mom’s phone 700 miles away and sang me “Happy Birthday.” Last Christmas I sent him a Christmas Card via text. Airborne Santa.
He loved it. And I guess he saved it because two nights ago he called me. He had been looking at that picture I sent. He was laughing about it and pointing out how whoever drew it, got all the details right; from the glider patch on his hat to his stance in the door. But really, he’d had had a few, and just wanted to talk. In the end, it turns out his sister is probably going to sell her house and that will leave him just like the people this article was about. Homeless.
“Don’t mean nothin’,” he said. “I’ve been in tougher spots.” Typical Charles. Don’t mean nothin’.
Tougher spots. Yes, he has been in tougher spots but there’s no reason for him to be in a spot like this. I assured him that if that were to happen I would do whatever I could to help. That included moving him into our spare bedroom.
My point is that the problem of homeless veterans is very serious. I thought that I could put a more personal face to the problem rather than just the sobering statistics. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that “39,471 veterans are homeless on any given night.”
Thankfully, there are programs like this but it isn’t enough. We need to do everything we can to help our homeless veterans. People like my friend Charles gave everything for their country and many are still psychologically paying for it because of what they experienced. Our country needs to give them just as much help as they gave to us.
Originally published at Fleeting Freedom on April 9, 2018.
