Housing for Homeless Vets Increases Through VA

A partnership was announced Tuesday with the Salvation Army and the Myrover-Reese Fellowship Home that will increase short-term housing for homeless veterans by 23 beds.

The number of homeless veterans in a military town is alarming. While many judge and say it is a choice - the cost of increased rent, loss of jobs, families trying to keep their children rather than turning them over to social services- nobody ever sees their journey ending like this. One small victory at a time, something is being done in the community for these veterans.

The homeless veteran population of females in Fayetteville has reached 18% equating to around 90 women.

"Fayetteville is a bastion of military persons," Barbara Marshall, a Navy veteran who was once homeless, told the Fayetteville Observer. "They retire here, and, unfortunately, some encounter times of trouble."

A beacon in our community, Marshall serves as a mentor to help other ladies through her Steps N Stages Jubilee House non-profit organization. Having walked in their shoes, she connects with these ladies on a very personal level and is able to help them start anew.

Last month when the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition bus rolled through Fayetteville, they rebuilt the Jubilee House which can now accommodate seven homeless veterans and their families while they get back on their feet.

Marsheta Boyton, a VA social worker, said 15 emergency beds will become available at the Salvation Army shelter in Fayetteville and eight temporary rehabilitative beds will become available through the Myrover-Reese Fellowship Home according to a Wednesday Fayetteville Observer report.

Bill Frye, Myrover-Reese's general manager, said the home will start filling those beds by next week.

The partnerships are part of the Fayetteville VA's plan to end homelessness among local veterans in five years.

"The VA cannot do it alone," said Edgar Norward, a VA official in the homeless coordination program. "We're here to fill the gaps.

"If you're not going to take care of the people who fought for you, you're not going to take care of anyone else."

VA officials said they hope to partner with various organizations in the community to provide services aimed at improving the stability of homeless veterans.

The top priority for VA officials is finding enough transitional housing for the area's growing homeless veteran population.

The housing-first strategy has been in place for more than a year, officials said, coinciding with a program that provides Department of Housing and Urban Development housing vouchers to qualifying veterans.

That program, coordinated by the VA's Jacqueline Hall-Williams, has helped house 97 veterans and their families in Fayetteville and Wilmington, totaling 185 people.

Hall-Williams said there are 40 vouchers filled in Wilmington and 45 in Fayetteville, with another 25 vouchers to be filled in Fayetteville soon.

She said the VA was in talks to gain more vouchers. But, she said, they won't be enough to meet the needs of 350 veterans waiting on homes.

"That's what we're facing now," said Hall-Williams, who added that she receives 40-50 calls a day about the program. "It's been a great program ... but all of you that work out there know we don't have enough resources."