Excerpt from Helping the Disabled Veteran (Romer)

This excerpt comes from Helping the Disabled Veteran (Joanna Romer)

Drive down any major thoroughfare in a medium to large-sized city, and you’re bound to see this sign at an intersection:

“Homeless Veteran. Please Help.”

The sign is usually being wielded by a man between 20 and 70 years old, bedraggled in appearance and wearing a helpless expression on his face. Sometimes the sign says, “Will work for food,” especially if the Veteran is on the younger side. Sometimes the sign bearer is disabled, with just one leg, standing on crutches or in a wheelchair.

What do we do when we see such a person? The light changes and we drive on through the intersection; or, if we’re feeling charitable, we put a dollar in the outstretched cup. Sometimes if we get a look at the veteran’s face, a tear may come to our eye: there’s something very wrong about this situation.

The more cynical among us may posit that the whole

thing is an act—that the man with the sign is just a punk out to buy drugs or scam the tourists. Maybe sometimes he is, but the truth is that there were 47,725 homeless veterans in the United States in January of 2015, according to point-in-time counts in communities across the country (National Alliance to End Homelessness). Although the number of homeless veterans has been decreasing since 2009, the less cynical among us might say that there shouldn’t be any.

A veteran is a man or woman who either enlisted or was drafted to serve in the military and has now completed that military service. If the individual has had a bad experience during his or her service—say, facing traumatic situations during combat, or losing a limb or an eye—assimilating back into daily life may not be so easy. There may be psychological problems, even if the veteran has not suffered an injury or has not been traumatized. The psychological problems interfere with sleep; sometimes they disrupt the veteran’s ability to hold a job. After a series of dismissals from the work force—due to absences, poor performance, moodiness or even lack of sociability on the job—the veteran finds himself or herself unable to find work.

Now what? The lucky ones move in with a family member: a brother, sister, parent, or spouse if they’re married.

But not all vets have family members with an extra bedroom or even a couch to spare. Next comes application to various agencies for help, but again, psychological problems can get in the way. Unless the veteran has someone to run interference and demystify the red tape, it can be a disheartening experience. Some vets simply aren’t up to it.

And so, sadly, we come to the street. As troops returned from operations in Afghanistan, the face of veteran homelessness changed: it is younger, more female, and often includes heads of households. Despite this change, homeless male veterans, most typically between the ages of 51 and 61, predominate. These are the veterans who served during the Vietnam War.

During times of homelessness, the veteran’s self-esteem plummets; it becomes increasingly hard to even think of finding work. Alcohol and drugs may enter the picture at this point, if they haven’t before, making the situation hopeless. Basically, the veteran’s heart is broken. He or she has lost the will to survive. Unless someone steps in to help, the veteran’s life may be lost.

Now think about it: here is a man or woman whose only crime was to volunteer (or perhaps be drafted) to help our country fight a war. Often the person was very young when the decision was made, barely out of high school. Encouraged by signs, such as, “Join the Navy! See the world!” the young person went in with high expectations. Whose fault is it that things didn’t turn out as expected?

We might say, “a stronger character would have been able to pull himself out of that depression, not succumb to the psychological problems.” Many veterans do pull themselves out, despite having undergone harrowing experiences, but not all. The ones who can’t or whose difficulties are so extreme that anybody facing them would belaid low—these veterans need our help.

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One person who did respond to the call for help was William J. Wood, himself a veteran of the Vietnam war, serving in the Army as a Warrant Officer. Wood had a long association with the Vietnam Veterans of America organization, an organization seeking quality health care for veterans with disabling injuries and illnesses received during military service.

Wood’s involvement with veterans didn’t stop there. Along with another veteran, he founded the Veterans Incarcerated Program, which helps veterans get VA benefits, provides counseling and assists with criminal justice issues.

He advocated for a local property tax levy to finance services for veterans and was successful in helping the King County Veterans and Human Services Levy, which provides additional services for veterans and their families, become a reality.

Wood’s work helping veterans did not go unrecognized. In 2016, the Multi-Service Center, a non-profit organization in South King County, Washington that seeks to address poverty and homelessness, named its new 13 million dollar housing facility for veterans in his memory.

The William J Wood Veterans House in Federal Way, Washington, which opened in December of 2016, offers one, two and three bedroom units to veterans and their families. The project was developed in partnership with Shelter Resources Incorporated and will be furnished and eligible for rental subsides through the HUD VASH Program in collaboration with King County Housing Authority.

The project came about in response to the Multi-Service Center’s work with King County veterans, who identified housing and employment assistance as being among their greatest needs. The William J Wood Veterans House not only provides housing, but also offers on-site services to assist veterans who may be having trouble re-entering the job market (Vietnam Veterans of America).

Other on-site services include case management, child advocacy, and classes in basic education, financial management, technology skills and job readiness. Veterans House amenities include on-site parking, an exercise room, community rooms, computer labs and security.

On its flyer, the William J Wood Veterans House reads: “Veterans, if you are homeless, call 877-904-8387.” Residents need to be referred through the VA, but all homeless or imminently homeless veterans and their families are eligible.

(see Romer's book for more programs)