There was good news in the 2015 State of the Homeless Address from the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition. The number of military veterans without permanent shelter was down to 11 individuals.
But that's also bad news for a nation that likes to thank members of the military for their service when they are encountered at airports and other public locations. We say we are free because of them. If we believe that, even one veteran homeless is one too many.
"We're working really hard in Tarrant County to put an end to having chronically homeless veterans on the street," says Deborah Bullock, Emergency Services manager, at the Salvation Army in Fort Worth. She and other members of the coalition's Continuum of Care Veteran's Committee meet regularly to discuss the cases of those still without shelter. They know them by name.
Bullock oversees the S.A.V.E. program - Salvation Army Veterans Enrichment - that provides permanent housing, long-term comprehensive case management and supportive services for chronically homeless, disabled veterans. The program is funded through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"It's hard to fathom the difficulties that this very vulnerable group of patriots has endured," said Otis Thornton, the City of Fort Worth's Homelessness Program Director. "Thankfully, the Salvation Army does a great job providing the care and support that chronically homeless veterans need to return to housing and flourish."
Bullock said that all the vets in the Army's program are disabled, either mentally, physically or from substance abuse. Somewhere around 40 percent have no income at all. The Salvation Army manages the cases and involves other agencies in counseling and therapy.
Under the program, veterans who qualify are able to move into an apartment of their choosing within rent guidelines. The intent is to help them become self-sufficient.
William Booth started the Salvation Army in London in the mid-1800s when he abandoned the concept of a conventional church and pulpit and took to the streets to preach the gospel to the poor, the hungry and the homeless. It came to Fort Worth in 1890 when 17-year-old Capt. Nora Foster opened a one-room mission.
